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Fifty-six percent of all Social Security households pay taxes on their benefits. Many of them have very modest middle incomes and didn't adequately understand or plan for these taxes, which take about 6% on average of Social Security income..Under the proposed House budget resolution, a Social Security "reform trigger" would be pulled in any year the Social Security Trustees determine the 75-year actuarial balance of the Social Security Trust Fund is in deficit. The resolution would also put any legislation on an expedited schedule for passage..The sharp plunge was the result of changes that Congress made in 1977 to a Social Security benefit formula glitch that over-adjusted for inflation. At the time, Social Security actuaries forecast that if left unchanged, some groups of future retirees would receive benefits that would be even higher than their average earnings during their working years. Social Security was almost insolvent..The study found that, since 2000, COLAs increased benefits a total of just 46%, while typical senior expenses have jumped 96.3%. Here's a chart of the costs that are increasing the fastest..pricey, especially since you may pay for it years before you use it. Some.While that part is good news for consumers, TSCL is closely watching to see how these changes may impact Medicare Advantage premiums and emergency room co-insurance costs. And unfortunately, drug costs are likely to continue to shock us unless Congress takes action to address that next!.Since its inception, Medicare has undergone a number of changes. Since 1972 the program has covered disabled persons under 6In the last 25 years, beneficiaries were given the option to obtain services through private managed care arrangements. And most recently, the passage of the Affordable Care Act strengthened Medicare by closing the prescription "donut hole" and expanding preventative services with no deductible or co-pay..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..For those who are "social butterflies," this is extremely hard. For those who do not have a problem being by themselves, maybe not so much.