According to Aging Committee Chairman Susan Collins, 5.7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer's disease, and it is the sixth leading cause of death. In her opening statement, Chairman Collins said: "If we continue along this trajectory, Alzheimer's is projected to claim the minds of nearly 14 million seniors and surpass trillion in costs by 2050.".That said, logic says we may be in for some pretty big swings in the prices of certain items - such as gasoline. Especially troubling for everyone are steep increases in the cost of meats, poultry, processed fish and seafood, milk, fruits and vegetables. We are spending a lot more than usual trying to maintain a nutritious diet, and this has been going on for months..Homeowners and renter's insurance: With severe weather-related disasters, homeowner's insurance is one of the top ten fastest rising senior costs. If you haven't done so recently, review your coverage and determine whether it's based on the current value of your home and realistic current replacement costs. Many policies have new deductibles for wind and hurricane damage based on a percentage of your home's value, so take care and look before being tempted to increase deductibles to lower premium costs. Do shop around with other highly rated insurers to see if you can lower your premiums..The good news is that in the years following attaining full retirement age, you may earn as much as you want without reduction to your benefits..Those people include Barbara B. - a retired home healthcare aide who lives in the Indianapolis area. "We're due for the increase," she says. But rising Part B premiums will likely take her entire COLA, leaving her with no increase at all in her net operating Social Security benefit again in 2018..Majorities reported that:.The loss of buying power is an early indicator of whether the Social Security COLA will climb in the following year. Based on consumer price index data through May of this year, we estimate that the COLA for 2019 will be about 3.3%, the highest since 201However, that number could change, since there are still several months of price data to be released before the Social Security Administration announces the COLA in October..Despite the slowing of the CPI, earlier this year, Medicare actuaries estimated that the base Part B premium paid by most seniors will climb about 8%, from .90 per month to 9.10, starting next January..How much will the New Year's 1.5% cost-of-living adjustment increase your Social Security benefits? How much did your household budget increase over the past 12 months? Your response is important because the only thing standing between seniors and COLA cuts right now is public pressure on Congress and the White House. Major budget negotiations are underway as the nation faces another government shut-down on January 15th, hitting the debt limit again the first week in February. Members of Congress need to hear how their actions would impact real people like you.

Air Quality Alert Casts Pall Over Minnesota

This week, The Senior Citizens League endorsed two bills that would expand Medicare coverage to include hearing, dental, and vision services. In addition, lawmakers prepared for a week-long recess on Friday, and two key Social Security bills gained cosponsors..One thing we know for certain about the greatest generation, it is that they don't scare easily. Not economic depression, Nazi Germany, Japan, or world war could frighten my father's generation. It is with that same resolve and faith in the rightness of your cause that seniors should not give in to the fear-mongering coming out of Washington D.C..In the meantime, The Senior Citizens League supports legislation that would boost Social Security benefits and tie the annual COLA to an index that better reflects the expenditures of retirees, such as the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly. To learn more visit. … Continued

Perspective Coronavirus Unequal Economic Toll

On Monday, a group of three Senators Amy Klobuchar, John McCain, and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to the White House urging the administration to utilize its executive power to reduce prescription drug costs..The findings come from a survey of 502 adults conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May. Thirty-nine percent had misused the cleaning products, and one quarter reported "an adverse health effect that they believed was a result" of the products..One option recently recommended by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission would repeal the SGR and encourage physicians to join two-sided risk accountable care organizations. Doctors participating in ACOs voluntarily group with hospitals and other providers to lower costs and better coordinate care. Pilot ACOs that are currently operating only see rewards for delivering high-quality, low-cost care. Those in two-sided risk ACOs, however, would also be penalized for providing low-quality, high-cost care. According to MedPAC, substantial savings would result, but many are still skeptical about the potential of ACOs. … Continued

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