Barbara, who is now 75, retired 9 years ago. In 2009, the first year after starting benefits, she received a 5.8% COLA and the Part B premium stayed the same as the year before. But in the following 8 years, COLAs dropped to record lows, averaging just 1.1% per year over the entire period..High premiums don't necessarily purchase better coverage. The generic blood pressure medication, Lisinopril, is one of the most commonly used prescriptions by Medicare beneficiaries. The least expensive Part D plan charges With no effective treatment in sight, and no indication that the coronavirus will "magically disappear," as the President has frequently predicted, a vaccine will be "the ultimate game changer" in the pandemic, according Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading expert on the outbreak. "There's never a guarantee of success," Fauci said. But he added that he was "cautiously optimistic" that by winter, at least one of nearly a dozen promising vaccine candidates would have shown itself to be safe and effective in inducing immunity in humans..If you are leaning towards refinancing your home, look carefully into the closing fees. Will you be paying any closing costs out-of-pocket or will those costs get rolled into the loan? How would that affect monthly payments?Based on your credit profile, what interest rate do you actually qualify for, and how does that compare with what you are currently paying?.Kyle Carpenter joined TREA in 2013 while stationed at Buckley AFB in Colorado and became active in Chapter 3Kyle has served in the Air Force for 20 years, first as active duty and currently as a guard member in active duty status. Kyle is currently serving in the Arkansas Air National Guard on active duty. He holds a master's degree in Maters of Business Administration with an emphasis in Healthcare from University of Phoenix and a bachelor's degree in Business Management from University of Phoenix. Kyle also obtained his Community College of the Air Force associate's degree in Human Resource..Creating a new minimum benefit for low-income retirees set at 25% above the poverty line ;.An intense battle over Social Security is brewing and TSCL is gearing up for major Congressional action. Recently retired Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan waded back into the fray to tell Congress "Our choices right now are not between good and better; they're between bad and worse. The problem we now face is the most extraordinary financial crisis that I have ever seen or read about. Irrespective of what you say should be done on the tax side, you still have to cut some benefits on the expenditure side." The statement is chilling considering Greenspan oversaw the largest single overhaul of the program in history, chairing the National Commission on Social Security Reform in the early 1980's..At Monday's press conference, all six Trustees commented on the need for Congress to make some changes to both programs to ensure their financial stability. The Senior Citizens League agrees that both programs must be returned to solvency to ensure that future retirees receive the security they deserve. However, we firmly believe that any changes to either program should be phased in gradually and should not affect those seniors nearing or currently in retirement..[iii] The Social Security Disability Insurance Program, testimony of Joyce Manchester before the Subcommittee on Social Security Committee on Ways and Means, March 14, 2013..Big Pharma, the lobby of the big drug companies, criticized the order right away and said the move was "a reckless distraction that impedes our ability to respond to the current pandemic and those we could face in the future.".The Democratic Platform copay for the drug, and the plan's monthly premium is just .50 in the zip code used in the analysis. The most expensive plan charges a co-pay of .19, and the plan has a monthly premium of .30. Counting premiums, that's a difference of ,055.88 for the entire year..Another major hurdle was about how to classify .5 billion in veterans' health spending through the VA Mission Act - legislation that Trump himself has championed. The chairmen/women of the Congressional committees that deal with government funding originally agreed to classify that money as "emergency spending" because then it would not violate the overall spending limits Congress has previously agreed to..TSCL supports the Social Security 2100 Act enthusiastically since it would reform the program responsibly, without any cuts for beneficiaries. Our legislative team will continue to advocate for it in the months ahead, and we hope to see it signed into law before the end of the 114th Congress. For updates on the progress of the Social Security 2100 Act, visit our Legislative News updates regularly or follow us on Facebook or Twitter..While the CDC recommends that younger people can start getting the seasonal flu vaccine starting in August, it recommends seniors wait until at least September to get theirs. But everyone should have one by the end of October..In 2012, the GPO reduced the Social Security benefits of nearly 600,000 surviving spouses, who also collect a government pensions, by nearly two-thirds. Nine out of 10 public employees affected by the GPO lost their entire spousal benefit, even though their spouse paid Social Security taxes.."Already in 2020, the companies' PACs have donated .62 million to individual candidates or their affiliated committees. The companies directed another .59 million to broader political groups like the Moderate Democrats PAC or the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and to other drug industry PACs, including PhRMA's.".Would this proposal help you? We are interested in hearing what you think. Send us an email at..Look into mail-order pharmacies. When ordering by mail you can often save money because you order in quantity - a 90-day versus a 30-day supply. Many mail order pharmacies charge lower co-pays for a 90-day supply than what you pay for a 60-day. Check with your drug plan to find out if mail order is available.