TSCL is happy to hear that. However, we also know that the big drug companies are spending millions of dollars lobbying heavily against legislation in Congress that would lower drug prices. So, we remain skeptical of his intentions until we actually see a proposal or proposals to do what he claims the drug companies want to do. .In new versions of this scam, scammers are impersonating the Social Security Administration using the Social Security Administration's own phone number as the incoming number on your caller ID. This is called "spoofing." Should you receive a call from someone alleging to be from the Social Security Administration you may report that information to the Social Security Office of Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271, or online at https://oig.ssa.gov/report. .A report conducted by the Congressional Management Foundation claims that this year's budget will force House member offices to trim an additional 90,000 dollars in each office. A reduction to staff positions could mean decreased constituent services as responsibilities are shifted. .Among the bills that make up the GOP plan is one that would establish congressional review boards to examine the long-term solvency of the three trust funds, a topic that long has been politically fraught. .She had a very tempting decision. If she "opted out" and decided not to take supplemental coverage through her former employer, she could join a new Medicare Advantage plan and pay Medicare expects to start mailing cards in May of 2018, but be patient. The cards are going out on a "rolling basis" to different states over the next 9 months (see the chart at the end of this article.) To learn when new Medicare cards start mailing to your area, sign up for e-alerts from Medicare by visiting Medicare.gov/NewCard. .The Board of Trustees for Social Security and Medicare recently released a bombshell of a report that shows this essential health safety net is coming apart at the seams. The report estimates the Medicare trust fund will run dry in 2024, five years earlier than last year's estimate, and went on to explain, "The fund is not adequately financed over the next ten years." In an alternate estimate also released, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Chief Actuary Rick Foster painted an even more dire picture, reporting that Medicare's unfunded obligations could be significantly higher, and long-term costs could dramatically increase from the numbers provided in the Board of Trustee's report. .It accelerated the closing of the "doughnut hole." Under prior law, the Medicare Part D coverage gap or "doughnut hole" was set to close in 2020. The Bipartisan Budget Act accelerated the closing of the gap so that it will occur one year earlier, in 201Instead of paying a coinsurance rate of 30% in the "doughnut hole," beneficiaries will pay 25%. And instead of brand-name drug manufacturers providing 50% discounts in the doughnut hole, they will begin providing 70% discounts. This means that more than one million Medicare Part D beneficiaries will pay less for their prescription drugs next year when they reach the gap in coverage. .While the Commission's plan received the support of a majority of the 18-member commission, the plan was three votes shy of the 14 votes needed to force Congressional action. Nevertheless, both President Obama and Congressional leaders said they would include many of the recommended proposals in their upcoming budgets for fiscal 2012, which are due soon. .While a drop in inflation should mean that people don't have to spend as much money due to higher prices, that hasn't been the case for older households, according to a survey by TSCL. The majority of survey participants, 72 percent, reported that their household budgets had gone up per month during 2015 even though the CPI-W in 2015 indicated that no COLA (for 2016) was payable. .There's an old saying: "Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made." .We will keep a close eye on the evolving discussions in the months ahead, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .Sources: "Feds Announce Biggest-Ever Medicare Fraud, Totaling 0 Million," Scott Cohn, CNBC, May 4, 201"Report: Suspect Billings At 2,600 Drugstores," Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, The Associated Press, May 13, 201"Obstacles To Collection Of Millions In Medicare Overpayments, Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, May 2012. .To date the government has no comprehensive estimate of the costs of such policies on the Social Security Trust Fund, or the cost of benefits based on illegal work. Nevertheless, Congress is studying a number of changes to Social Security that would cut the benefits of both future and current U.S. senior citizen beneficiaries who worked and paid into Social Security legally. premiums for her hospitalization, doctors' and outpatient coverage. In addition, the plan also offered hearing, vision, dental and Part D drug coverage. .Personal testimonials are no substitute for scientific evidence. .Social Security Trust Fund is the biggest government account holding U.S. debt — and the U.S. Treasury owes the Trust Fund more than .8 trillion. .With it looking increasingly likely that Social Security beneficiaries will receive the highest COLA in seven years —about 3.3% in 2019 — proponents of "chaining" the COLA are likely to try to argue that the COLA under current law overpays recipients. Proponents of using the chained consumer price index to calculate the COLA claim that the chained consumer price index (CPI) is more "accurate" in calculating the COLA because it takes into account how people substitute other items when prices change. .For women, that number is even lower, it's ,000 a year.