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If adopted, the Ways and Means Committee's bill would increase the federal deficit by .5 trillion over ten years and according to budget experts, the projected economic growth due to its passage would not come close to offsetting the cost. TSCL is concerned that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act if signed into law would open the door for major cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid..Two Bills Gain Cosponsors.In the report released on Wednesday, the trustees estimated that Medicare beneficiaries will see a Part B premium increase of nearly per month next year, from 1.80 to However, due to the hold harmless provision, most beneficiaries will continue paying a monthly premium of 4.90. That's because experts are projecting another record-low Social Security cost-of-living adjustment for 201The trustees estimated that a 0.2 percent COLA will be paid next year, which would amount to a mere per month benefit increase for someone receiving a ,000 monthly check..xmas cash.Congress recently ended two Social Security claiming strategies that helped couples maximize their retirement income. The strategies being eliminated allowed individuals to claim a spousal benefit while their own retirement benefits continued to grow. The "file and suspend" option is no longer available for people who will be younger than age 66 on April 30, 201Those older than age 66 on that date are grandfathered in and still able to use the claiming strategy. If you and your husband won't be 66 until later in the year, your husband would not be able to file and suspend as planned..The Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act, if signed into law, would repeal the SGR and set up a five-year trial period during which physician payments would stabilize and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would test new payment and delivery models. TSCL strongly believes that the SGR breeds uncertainty in the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. Many doctors have stopped accepting Medicare patients, and many more are threatening to do so if a permanent solution is not established soon. We believe that Rep. Schwartz's bill would bring increased stability to the program, and we urge Congress to pass it by the end of this year..Negotiations Continue among Conferees.Most troubling, in October we reported that Medicare Advantage plans have overcharged Medicare by almost billion in recent years. Officials know that some Medicare Advantage plans exaggerate how sick their patients are by inflating the "risk scores" in order to collect higher payments from Medicare, yet the federal government has recovered only a tiny percentage of the overpayments to private insurers in the past..Second, every two years, the Taskforce will submit a report to Congress outlining trends and innovations that are impacting the investment for senior investors. This will keep a cop on the beat to make sure we keep up with changes in financial scams. The report will also include recommendations for changes to rules of the SEC or other organizations, and any legislative actions needed to resolve senior investors' problems.