Rep. Elijah Cummings introduced H.R. 3513 on September 10, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and to the Committee on Ways and Means..You can also get one-on-one counseling and assistance in applying through your State Health Insurance Program. Find the contact for your area online at: shiptacenter.org..Food is one of the top three categories of expenses for most people who rely on Social Security. While the price of gasoline has gone down, food costs, especially meats, have continued to climb. Here are five ways to lower the food bill:.Members of Congress and candidates frequently schedule town halls. Voters get an opportunity to ask questions and to learn the candidates' positions on key issues. Be prepared by having questions in hand when you attend. Here are some ideas:."Extra Help Basics," Medicare Interactive, The Medicare Rights Center, accessed on June 19, 2018..As part of efforts to strengthen the Social Security system, Congress included the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset in the Social Security Act of 198While its intentions were noble, these changes did little to secure the Social Security system, and have instead unfairly penalized millions of public sector employees..As a result, some doctors are opting out of providing care to Medicare patients..Unrealistic Cost-of-Living-Adjustments : COLAs are already inadequate: Seniors have lost almost one-third of their buying power since 2000, according to a recent TSCL study. In that period, COLAs increased just 31 percent, while typical senior expenses jumped 73 percent, more than twice as fast. There is talk of using a "chained" CPI to calculate COLAs. But the spending patterns assumed by the "chained" CPI don't apply as well to seniors, who spend a larger percentage of their income on necessities that aren't as conducive to substitution. Billed as a mere "technical correction," a TSCL analysis shows that using a "chained" CPI to calculate COLAs would in fact slash payments by more than ,000 over a 25-year retirement. Read more here and here..New Concern About Cuts to Medicare
