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This week, one new cosponsor Rep. Adam Smith signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act, bringing the total up to 16The bill, which was introduced just over a month ago, has more support in Congress than any other comprehensive Social Security reform bill to date..I have absolutely NO idea what I did with the car keys..Action from Congress is needed to address Social Security's looming shortfall. Without it, the Social Security Trust Fund is estimated to run short by 203Should that occur, benefits would be reduced by about 22% to match the level of payroll taxes coming in..A Kaiser Family Foundation study has found that ten percent of prescription drugs make up the majority of Medicare drug spending..According to economist John Haldi, Ph.D., who performed a comprehensive analysis of the Notch in 2003, "The result of their formula should have been re-examined years ago to see if it achieved a basic level of fairness, but all prior reviews seem to have been designed to minimize and dismiss the problem, rather than recognize and remedy it. The factors that led to the Notch need to be reviewed again.".Pay special attention to the bathroom. Bathrooms are second to kitchen remodels for raising the selling price of your home. Modernizing the fixtures is a good idea, but don't rush to throw out that antique claw foot tub, check with your agent first. There are companies that can refinish those old tubs. Repair or replace leaky toilets and faucets. Repair or replace chipped tiles, replace caulking and grouting where necessary..to make it sustainable. But let's do it in a thoughtful way, so seniors who worked hard and paid their dues aren't suddenly thrown to the wolves. We already have members telling us about elderly friends who are foregoing cancer treatments because they can't afford them and don't want to saddle their surviving spouse with the bills; for such folks, some of the reform proposals would simply be too much to bear.".Never allow anyone into your home to check electrical wiring, natural gas pipes or appliances unless you have scheduled an appointment or have reported a utility problem. Also, ask utility employees for proper identification..The Congressional Budget Office estimates the House GOP's American Health Care Act that passed in the House cuts federal spending on Medicaid by 4 billion over ten years, a funding cut of 25%. The Senate's health care bill would cut Medicaid even more deeply, by using a more slowly-growing inflation index to adjust reimbursements to states.

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The Senior Citizens League supports proposals that strengthens Medicare for dental, vision and audio services, and cuts prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices. To learn more visit:..The Democratic leadership in the House has announced that the House will not take its August break until the next pandemic relief legislation is passed but so far we have seen no indication regarding the intentions of the Republican-run Senate. As of right now, the Senate is scheduled to be out of session from August 10 until September 7..Since 2000, COLAs have increased Social Security benefits a total of 53 percent, yet typical senior expenses grew almost twice as fast - 99.3 percent. Table illustrates ten of the fastest growing costs since 2000. Where no average prices are available, numeric values from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U are used. Table shows the fastest growing costs from January 2019 to January 2020. … Continued

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For example, if the price of gasoline soars do people spend more on gas for their autos, or make fewer trips? Because Social Security recipients are living on fixed income, they don't always have the leeway to spend more, meaning larger numbers of seniors might drive less. Younger consumers on a budget and people who are out of work, may be in the same boat. And if a lot of consumers are in the same fix, and wind up driving less, this measure is likely to show that inflation didn't increase much, even though the price of gas at the pump is stratospheric. That would mean your COLA wouldn't grow either, even though cost inflation may be soaring..While that is certainly better than 2010 and 2011 when inflation was so low that no COLA was paid for two years in a row, it's unlikely to cover seniors' real cost increases. Earlier this year we surveyed our readers and 89% reported that the 1.7% COLA in 2013 increased benefits by less than per month. On the other hand, almost the same number, 88%, reported that their total monthly expenses rose by more than Unfortunately the majority of those people, 40%, said that their monthly costs rose by more than 9..If you have not been offered affordable insurance through your employer, you are not receiving Medicare, and you purchase your own health insurance coverage, you may be among those who have the most to gain from shopping for health insurance on the new health insurance exchanges. Depending on your income, you may be eligible for new premium subsides that would cover part of the cost of your health insurance premiums. The exchanges are now open for comparing health insurance coverage that becomes effective January 1, 2014. … Continued