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This year, more than 50% of Social Security beneficiaries paid taxes on their benefits, even though many of them only made twice the federal poverty level in income. Do you believe this is fair, and if not, what should be done about it?.The Senior Citizens League believes that these CMS initiatives to fight Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse are encouraging steps toward containing and even preventing escalating costs and premiums. However, more steps like Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's TSCL-supported Medicare Fraud Prevention Fraud Enforcement and Prevention Act should be taken. If passed, this bill would create a pilot program using biometric technology to ensure that all Medicare claims are legitimate. It would also facilitate real-time information sharing between law enforcement agencies, and it would increase the penalties for those convicted of Medicare fraud. While wasteful and fraudulent activities aren't the only issues of Medicare reform, TSCL believes that strict oversight from lawmakers, administrators, and seniors alike is a proper first step..Medicare - age adults 65 and up, and those who are residents of nursing homes are at especially high risk of complications and death from the COVID-19 coronavirus. About 90 percent of the participants of the new survey, which was conducted online during June and July, are Medicare beneficiaries. Survey response indicates support for strengthening program funding versus no change, or prioritizing healthcare delivery through private insurance plans over traditional Medicare. Only 23 percent of survey participants think that priority should be placed on private insurance plans in order to reduce reliance on federal spending and the need to raise taxes, and just 21 percent think the current level of spending is "about right because we could not have anticipated the scope of the coronavirus pandemic.".If signed into law, the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act would amend the Social Security Act with regard to the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits. Currently, the COLA is based upon the spending patterns of young, urban workers using the CPI for Urban Wage Earners. This legislation would calculate the COLA based on the spending patterns of seniors by using the CPI-E..Do you see piles of mail and unopened bills? Your friend's mail may be a clue to how well she is managing her finances. Do you see unopened bills that have post- marks older than 30 days? Have you spotted letters from banks, creditors or insurers referring to overdrawn balances and missing payments?.also say that if you're healthy, the best time to shop for a policy is your.Over the past decade, there has been no COLA at all three times - in 2010, 2011, and 201In 2017 the COLA was just 0.03%. The 2021 COLA of 1.3% is one of the lowest COLAs ever paid. TSCL feels this is a clear sign that the inflation adjustment for Social Security benefits is failing the very people it was designed to protect..Before a company's drug patent expires, manufacturers of generics race to file lawsuits to challenge the patent. The company that wins gets a six-month period of exclusive sales to sell the drug. While this doesn't always happen, when it does it can delay real market competition until several manufacturers start making the generic version..That doesn't even include any other Medicare costs, which are illustrated in the following chart, or costs that aren't covered by Medicare including dental and vision services.