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Your Part D drug plan would never tell you this, but the alarming fact is that there is no limit to what you might spend out-of-pocket for your prescriptions drugs in any given year. While this may not seem like much of a worry if you just take a few common generics, it becomes a far greater concern should you ever need high priced drugs - or have a medication bill of more than 0 per month. That could happen to any of us at any time..If the Social Security COLA were based on a more accurate measure of inflation for senior citizens, this year's increase would not have been zero it would have been around 0.6 percent according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Do you support legislation that would base the COLA on a more accurate inflation index like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly?.The index used to determine the COLA of retirees does not measure the spending patterns of retirees, but younger workers instead. Retirees, we all know, spend their money differently than younger people and must spend a far bigger share of their budgets on housing and medical costs - two categories of spending that often rise several times faster than overall inflation..Cost of alcohol or drug-abuse treatment..Late this week, lawmakers in the House and Senate adjourned for a seven-week summer recess. They are expected to return to Capitol Hill following the Labor Day holiday, on September 6th. In the meantime, most Members of Congress will be holding town hall meetings in their home states and districts, presenting constituents with an excellent opportunity to have their most pressing questions answered before the looming elections..Medicaid currently covers about 60 percent of people in nursing homes. But to qualify, seniors in long-term care are required to "spend down" their life savings to the last ,000 and ,000 before Medicaid covers the bill. That won't apply to people younger than 65 under the new rules. Financial eligibility is based on modified adjusted gross income. Medicaid will no longer count how much applicants have in assets like savings and investments for this group of applicants as long as they aren't in long-term care. While that's likely to help more low-income seniors under 65 qualify for Medicaid, TSCL is concerned that it also opens the program to greater potential for gaming the system and fraud..Barbara has a number of ways she tries to cope. She qualifies for an age reduction waiver on real estate taxes, and energy assistance to help cover the cost of heating her home. To save on her phone bill, she asked her phone company for a discount and got it. She uses shopping points from Kroger where she buys groceries to save money on gasoline..Getting the COVID-19 vaccine was one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. It was emotional for a lot of people who were there. I cried when I got both of my shots - not because it hurt, but from the overwhelming sense of relief, joy and gratitude. "Mo," the chief of our local Emergency Medical Services who gave me my second dose, teared up too. He said he was relieved for the opportunity to save lives "this way" rather than making so many grim ambulance calls..Protection of the Social Security Trust Fund Ensuring that the program's assets are locked out of the general budget.