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Both the SSA and AARP say that "fixing" the Notch would be a costly mistake that would drain dollars from the Social Security Trust Fund reserve. In 1992 one popular piece of legislation to provide improved monthly benefits was estimated to cost 0 billion. To counter these concerns, alternative "capped-cost" legislation has been introduced. "The Notch Fairness Act of 2001" would provide those born from 1917 through 1926 their choice of either improved monthly benefits, or a Lump-Sum of ,000 payable over a four-year period. The cost of Lump-Sum legislation is estimated to be billion, or slightly less than .25 billion per year over a four-year period..Trustees Release Annual Review of Trust Funds.Budget Deal Passes With Provisions To Head Off SSDI Benefit Cut.Gradually, over 10 years, eliminate the cap on earnings that are taxed for Social Security. This would mean that the approximately 6% of workers who earn more than the 8,500 cap in 2015 would pay into Social Security throughout the year like other workers. In return they would get slightly higher benefits..The Social Security Trustees recently projected that the Disability Insurance Trust Fund will be fully depleted by 201If the next Congress takes no action to address the matter, payroll taxes will only be sufficient to cover about 80 percent of benefits after Trust Fund depletion. While Congress has never permitted a trust fund to run out before, time is short to make what's likely to be difficult long-term changes. "The longer lawmakers wait at this point, the greater the chances of a funding crisis and benefit cuts," Cates says..According to Johnson's calculations, the Social Security beneficiaries who are most likely will not to see an increase in their net monthly check are those with benefits below ,264 per month. These individuals will once again be subject to hold harmless in 201Their COLA will be completely offset by the Part B premiums, but their Social Security benefits will not be reduced. "The net result will be no growth in the benefit for the third year in a row," Johnson says. "And that leaves nothing to meet other rising costs, such as Medigap premiums, Part D premiums, out-of-pocket costs, or anything else," Johnson notes..The subsidies are based on household income. If your income went down in 2014 you may be entitled to a bigger health insurance subsidy tax credit. But if your income goes up you would get a lower premium subsidy..A growing number of Social Security recipients are affected by the tax, because the income thresholds are fixed, rather than adjusted annually, like income brackets. Because of this, the number of Social Security recipients who are hit by the tax has increased substantially over the years as incomes increased..Key witnesses such as Mr. Richard Nance, Director of the Utah County Department of Drug and Alcohol Prevention and Treatment, advocated in favor of expanding telemedicine to treat those afflicted with addiction. Other witnesses such as Dr. Andrew Kolodny of Brandeis University warned that doctors need further education on safe opioid prescribing, and that it should not be influenced in any way by parties that benefit from the sale of opioids.