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The high cost of health care is one of the biggest threats to Medicare and older Americans' health in general. I stand ready to take action on drug price negotiation and Medicare-X and to debate whatever ideas Democrats, Republicans, and independents have to bring down the cost of health care today and protect Medicare's viability for generations to come..Shop your local farmers' markets, and growers. Until you've sampled just - picked local fruits and vegetables, you really haven't tasted produce at its peak. Not only will you find better quality and better tasting produce, often grown organically, you'll find better prices too, especially when there's a glut and the grower has limited storage space. August, for example, is your best time to stock up on tomatoes, beans, corn, squash, cucumbers, peppers, melons and eggplant..One of the key issues discussed was the growing concern surrounding the possibility of the Totalization Agreement between the United States and Mexico being signed by the President. If this happens, Congress would have a limited amount of time to actually review the Agreement. If Congress decides not to take any action, the Agreement would automatically go into effect..When Medicare solvency is under discussion, the focus is often placed on the Medicare Part A Trust Fund, which is primarily financed by payroll taxes. The last time Medicare Part A Trust Fund was forecast to become insolvent was in 200That year, the Medicare Trust Fund was forecast to become insolvent by 201In 2010, Congress enacted the Affordable Care Act which changed Medicare revenues in two ways. It added an additional payroll tax of 0.9% to the 1.45% of Medicare taxes paid by high earning individuals with wages over 0,000. A second provision affecting individuals with this level of income, imposed a new 3.8% tax on a portion of net investment income. Estates and trusts can also be subject to this tax..Starting January 1, 2014, all Americans are required to have health insurance. People who can afford it, but don't purchase health insurance by that date, may have to pay a fee, and must also pay the entire cost of all medical care they may later require. The fee in 2014 is 1% of your yearly income, or per person for the year, whichever is higher and that fee increases every year. By 2016, it is 2.5% of income, or 5 per person, whichever is higher..TSCL Announces Support for New Bill.This estimate appears to be one evaluated by the Government Accountability Office in 200The GAO found that "the cost of a Totalization Agreement with Mexico is highly uncertain, more so than previous agreements, because of the large number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States.".and screenings are generally scheduled about 12 months apart, but try to get.President Obama Releases Budget Blueprint