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Prices charged for the category of drugs known as "specialty medications" are exploding so quickly that they're now a key source of concern for both consumers and Congress. Specialty drugs include those used to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis and rare health conditions. Spending on these drugs under Medicare almost quadrupled in recent years, rising from .7 billion in 2010 to .8 billion in 201On the other hand, spending on the same drugs under Medicaid, the program that provides healthcare for low-income Americans, grew much more slowly over the same period, rising from .8 billion to .9 billion..Our voices and our votes collectively are how we counteract all the money the drug companies throw around to influence Congress..In a recent Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill questioned medical and pharmaceutical industry leaders about the financial relationship between physicians and drug companies. Pharmaceutical companies currently spend billions of dollars annually 90 percent of their marketing program on gifts, lunches, drug samples, and sponsorships of education programs for doctors without any form of public disclosure, leading many to question whether economic incentives provided by the industry cloud physicians' judgment and put profits ahead of patients..Seniors born from 1917 through 1926, known as "Notch Babies" receive lower Social Security benefits than other retirees with almost identical earnings histories. Do you support Notch Reform legislation that would provide a choice of ,000 payable in four annual installments or an improved monthly benefit?.That doesn't even include any other Medicare costs, which are illustrated in the following chart, or costs that aren't covered by Medicare including dental and vision services..The exact number of physicians with concierge practices is unknown, health care experts said. One physician consulting company, Concierge Choice Physicians, estimates that roughly 10,000 doctors practice some form of membership medicine, although it may not strictly apply to Medicare patients. And the move to concierge medicine may be more prevalent in wealthier areas..Progressives see expanding the popular entitlement as essential to fulfilling their campaign pledges and keeping Democratic control of the House and Senate. But the reforms threaten the bottom line of insurers who administer private Medicare plans and sell supplemental coverage for dental, vision and hearing services. Groups like the American Dental Association, worried their members will be paid less in traditional Medicare than in private Medicare plans, are also pushing to limit the new benefits to the poorest Americans..Medicare pays nothing at all for long-term care, and provides only.How much will the New Year's 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment increase your Social Security benefits? How much did your household budget increase over the past 12 months? Your response is important because the only thing standing between seniors and COLA cuts right now is public pressure on Congress and the White House. Major budget negotiations are underway as the nation faces another government shut-down on January 15th, hitting the debt limit again the first week in February. Members of Congress need to hear how their actions would impact real people like you.