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On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee held a hearing on the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset, two provisions that arbitrarily reduce the earned Social Security benefits of millions of public employees. They were enacted in 1983 in an attempt to bring fairness to the system for those who receive government pensions and earn Social Security benefits, but they have not worked as intended..To learn how much the COLA cuts would cost you, try TSCL's "chained" COLA calculator..SSA Announces Record-Low Social Security Increase.What do you think of the Obama Administration's Immigration Amnesty actions by Executive Order?.Learn how to identify "fresh". Never let anyone try to convince you that limp or wilted greens and vegetables can be rejuvenated. When moisture loss and wilting occur after harvest, nutrients go with it in the process. Shop around for your produce and look for green markets that not only have reasonable prices, but high turn - over and produce from local growers ensuring that you get fresher choices..The concern is well justified. The Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services has reported that Medicare Advantage plans deny care inappropriately at high rates. When the Office of the Inspector General collected data, it found that when beneficiaries and providers appealed pre-authorization and payment denials, Medicare Advantage Organizations over-turned 75% of their own denials over the 2014-2016 period. The OIG noted "This is especially concerning because beneficiaries and providers rarely use the appeals process, which is designed to ensure access to care and payment." Only 1 percent of beneficiaries and providers appealed denials..Medical: Medicare recently reported the lowest growth in healthcare costs on record based on spending through 20But that's not the case for seniors. In fact, since 2000, Medicare Part B costs rose as fast as the cost of gasoline. Seniors will receive notification this month of their Medicare Part B premium for 201It's also important to check your Part D drug coverage. Medicare Part D's infamous drug coverage gap, aka the "doughnut hole," is slowly closing a widely touted benefit of the 2010 healthcare law. Several Part D costs, like the "standard" deductible, and the out-of-pocket costs thresholds, will be lower in 201But for the first time since Part D started, the initial coverage amount, the amount all seniors use when they fill a prescription, will be less generous by 0. That means you may hit the doughnut hole coverage gap sooner..The flowerpots aren't watered..On Monday, the CBO released its highly anticipated analysis of the BCRA health reform legislation released late last week by Republican leaders in the Senate. The report shows that if signed into law, the bill would leave 22 million more individuals uninsured than current law, and it would hit older, poorer people the hardest especially those between the ages of fifty and sixty-four with less than ,200 in annual income. Those individuals would see health insurance premium increases of 200 percent or more under the BCRA.