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Second, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2017 gained one new cosponsor in Senator Tina Smith, bringing the cosponsor total to twenty-two. If signed into law, S. 915 would repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision two Social Security provisions that cut the earned benefits of millions of teachers, police officers, and other public servants each year..Currently, the DI trust fund is set to become depleted in late 2016, and legislative action will be needed to prevent a 25 percent cut in benefits for 11 million disabled beneficiaries. According to those at Wednesday's hearing, reallocating funds from the Old Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund is the simplest and least controversial way of solving the problem. However, TSCL disagrees since doing so would mean that the OASI trust fund would become depleted four years earlier than currently projected. In our most recent survey of members and supporters, only 1 percent said they support the reallocation of funds from the OASI trust fund to the DI trust fund..Fifty six percent of older adults think we need to invest more in Medicare in order to respond more quickly and effectively to a healthcare crisis like COVID-19, according to a new survey by The Senior Citizens League. "Boosting funding for Medicare is one of the most important issues for older voters this year," says Mary Johnson, a Medicare, and Social Security policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League..TSCL believes a cap of ,000 to ,000 out-of-pocket, particularly for people who don't receive any "Extra Help" to cover drug costs and out-of-pocket spending, would provide much needed protection that would significantly reduce the current impoverishing level of mandated out-of-pocket spending..The Social Security COLA was created to protect the purchasing power of Social Security benefits received by older and disabled Americans, but the results of this new study show that seniors are failing to keep up with rising costs. In recent years, inflation and COLAs have been at record low levels, averaging just 1.2 percent per year since 20In 2018, Social Security beneficiaries received a COLA of 2 percent, yet most saw no increase at all in their net benefits due to substantially higher Medicare Part B premiums..It also seems to be a more severe flu strain than the seasonal flu which means more people require greater medical care. For most people this flu is survivable but without the extra medical care that someone might normally need they may succumb to it..The Health Subcommittee focused on three specific Medicare proposals that President Obama included in his fiscal 2014 budget: establishing a home health copay, increasing the annual Part B deductible, and increasing means-testing measures for Parts B and D. Most Subcommittee Members, along with the expert panel, expressed their disapproval of all three options, stating that they would simply shift costs to seniors instead of targeting the root of the problem. Instead, many suggested that they focus on reforming the delivery system to better reward quality medical care..Will current beneficiaries and those close to retirement - people age 55 and older - be protected from benefit cuts?.On Wednesday, Marilyn Tavenner, acting Administrator of CMS since 2011, was confirmed by the Senate with an overwhelming vote of ninety-one to seven. She is the first CMS Administrator to be confirmed by the legislative body in over nine years, but her confirmation did not come easily. Earlier this year, two Senators placed holds on her confirmation, delaying the process significantly.