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Congress is under intense pressure from numerous directions to get rising debt under control. The Congressional Budget Office further warned that growing interest costs on the debt would restrict our elected lawmakers ability to use tax and spending policies to respond to economic downturns or financial crises. And that in turn would increase the probably of a sudden fiscal crisis, in which the government would lose its ability to borrow at affordable rates..Top 10 Fastest Growing Costs of Older Americans Since 2000.First, the payroll tax cut undermines the self–sustaining nature of Social Security and for the first time in more than seventy years, the program has become reliant on the federal government's general revenues. Under the law, the government must provide Social Security's Trust Fund with a dollar–for–dollar replacement for any lost revenues due to the tax cut. In 2011, the government's reimbursement funds accounted for 13 percent of Social Security's income. TSCL finds it troubling that the tax cut has disrupted the financing structure of Social Security, which has worked seamlessly since the program's inception..A balanced budget amendment to the constitution, like the one that was considered this year, would prohibit the federal government from spending more than it collects in revenues each year. It's a budget gimmick that would essentially make it unconstitutional for Social Security and Medicare to use the trust fund reserves they currently have to pay out benefits, because it would prohibit "borrowing" even when new revenues are insufficient to pay out benefits. Additionally, the federal government would be prohibited from repaying the .7 trillion it currently owes to the Social Security trust funds..The study examined the increase in costs of 39 key items between 2000 and January 201The items were chosen because they are typical of the costs of most Social Security recipients, and include expenditures like Medicare Part B premium, that are not measured by the index currently used to calculate the COLA. Of the 39 items analyzed, 26 increased faster than the COLA over the same period. "This study illustrates why Congress should enact legislation to provide a more fair and adequate COLA," says The Senior Citizens' Executive Director, Shannon Benton. "To put it in perspective, for every 0 worth of groceries a retiree household could afford in 2000, they can only buy worth today," Benton adds..Supreme Court Rules on Immigration Orders.Search for health and drug coverage based on the drugs you actually take: Plans vary tremendously on the price of prescription drugs, and you can spend hundreds of dollars more per year than you need to. Do your search for health or stand-alone drug plans by inputting all the drugs you take to get your best choice of plans for you at the lowest cost. Make a list of each drug that you take, dosage, and the amount you take in a month or 90 days if by mail order. Spelling and dosage details are important to get most accurate results. The Medicare plan finder will pull up a list of plans showing the lowest costing plan first. It's important to check the reasons why the plan costs less, including whether the plan covers ALL your prescription drugs. When checking plan cost details, check the difference in prescription prices between standard retail pharmacies and mail order..The disability program has been redeeming the assets, or IOUs, held in the DI trust fund for several years and is projected to become totally insolvent in 201Upon insolvency, legislation would be required if the DI trust fund were to borrow money in order to pay benefits, even if the money is borrowed from the OASI trust fund. The two funds have borrowed from each other in the past. During the 1980's, the OASI trust fund borrowed from the DI trust fund and the money was later repaid. However, in 2018 the OASI trust fund will be facing its own financial problems..Low-income individuals whose state Medicaid programs pay their Medicare Part B premium on their behalf.