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In March of this year, after nearly a year of debate in Congress, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. As the initial media coverage and analysis of the new law reached a fever pitch, there were many news reports on a certain provision of the law that relates to prescription drug coverage retirees receive through their former employers.."'It's modest in terms of efficacy. It's [statistically] significant, but it may not be observable by the family or caregiver or even the physician,'" he said. "'I would tell them this is not a cure - something to set the expectation that this is likely not going to be a dramatic improvement, but this could be something more subtle.'".Eligibility criteria vary according to the type of benefit. The amount of benefits is determined by things such as the worker's earning record, age when the benefit was started, and other factors. For more information about whether you might be eligible for any of the above types of benefits visit or call Social Security toll-free 772-1213..Extremely low Social Security cost of living adjustments have significantly impacted the retirement income of almost two-thirds of all older Americans, according to a new analysis by The Senior Citizens League. "People who have been receiving Social Security benefits since 2009 - an estimated 64 percent of all beneficiaries - have been hit with the full brunt of extremely low COLAs over the past nine years," says The Senior Citizens League's Social Security policy analyst Mary Johnson. "Nine years is about one third the length of a typical retirement," Johnson points out. "Younger retirees since 2009 are also feeling the pain," she notes..Gift certificates for home-heating oil are likely to be among the most appreciated gift you can give this holiday, says The Senior Citizens League. "That's because it will cost many Americans roughly 26 percent more to fill their home-heating fuel tanks this winter than last," says The Senior Citizens League's Social Security policy analyst Mary Johnson. "For people who rely on Social Security benefits, this will be a particularly challenging expense, since Social Security benefits are only increasing 2.8 percent in 2019," she explains..Women also tend to take their benefits sooner than men - before reaching the age for full un-reduced retirement benefits. When retiring before full retirement age, benefits are permanently reduced by up to 25% to 30%, depending on age..Although some members of Congress have said they don't know where the money would come from to fix Social Security without benefit cuts, TSCL surveys indicate that older Americans support the following approach:.Even though all federal government buildings are now air conditioned, Congress has continued with that tradition..Members of the Maryland Congressional delegation recently sent a letter to the Postmaster General complaining of the poor service. They stated in part: