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In most years, seniors receive a small increase in their Social Security checks, intended to help them keep up with rising costs. But since 2000, the Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment has increased benefits just 38 percent while typical senior expenses have jumped 81 percent, more than twice as fast. Inflation has been at historic lows in recent years and seniors received a 1.7 percent COLA this year..Rather than cutting back on one or two drugs, there was a large group that stopped filling most if not all their prescriptions as copays went up..Gift certificates for home-heating oil are likely to be among the most appreciated gift you can give this holiday, says The Senior Citizens League. "That's because it will cost many Americans roughly 26 percent more to fill their home-heating fuel tanks this winter than last," says The Senior Citizens League's Social Security policy analyst Mary Johnson. "For people who rely on Social Security benefits, this will be a particularly challenging expense, since Social Security benefits are only increasing 2.8 percent in 2019," she explains..President Trump recently signed an executive order intended to change Medicare by expanding the role of Medicare Advantage - the private insurance alternative to Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans have been growing in popularity in recent years enrolling about one third of the nation's 61 million Medicare enrollees..To qualify, you must meet your state's income and asset guidelines. You may qualify if your income in 2012 was at or below the income and resource limits listed below..Such a minimum guarantee would go a long way to protect beneficiaries in years when there is no COLA. Had such a 3% minimum COLA guarantee been in effect since 2009, the average benefit of ,075 in 2009 would be 5 per month/ ,580 year higher today - about 18%. A minimum COLA would also eliminate the problem of benefits remaining flat for years, at a time during periods when Medicare Part B premiums increase more than the COLA raises benefits..Adopting a more accurate and adequate COLA that protects seniors against inflation;.The U.S. currently has 21 Social Security Totalization Agreements in effect with other nations. The agreements allow workers who split their careers working in two countries to avoid double taxation on the same work. In addition, workers are allowed to combine earnings from both countries in order to qualify for Social Security benefits under one or both systems. The agreement with Mexico presumably would have a very different impact, however, for a number of reasons, including the fact that no other totalization agreement is with a country where so many of its citizens are living and working in our country illegally..Under growing pressure to reduce the federal debt, Congress is considering a new Medicare proposal that would shift the risk of rising costs that outpace spending targets set by the government to seniors and the disabled. The proposal comes from a key recommendation of President Obama's Fiscal Commission.