We need to focus on putting the "Security" back into Social Security, and providing real relief from rising Medicare costs, by avoiding double digit premium increases to begin with. Congress can accomplish both by providing an emergency COLA in 202That one action would negate the need for any Medicare Part B premium cost shifting and double-digit premium increases. Providing a benefit boost would also reduce the need to adjust Part B premiums for those with the lowest benefits in the future. ."Turning our backs on trading partners during a crisis could damage our relationships long after this pandemic ends," the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhARMA) and dozens of other business and trade groups wrote in a letter to the administration. .To make the Social Security COLA more adequate, The Senior Citizens League believes Congress must adopt the CPI-E Act (H.R. 1251). This bipartisan bill would base Social Security COLAs on the spending patterns of older Americans – not the spending patterns of young, working Americans – using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E). .Forty-five percent (45%) say their retirement savings dropped significantly in value and that they have cut back on spending. Another 13 percent (13%) say their retirement savings have dropped, but they are unable to cut back any further. .(Washington, DC) – Low inflation is striking another blow to the long - term Social Security income of millions of older and disabled Americans, according to a new analysis by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). "For the third time in only 7 years, older Americans will not see any Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase in their Social Security benefits," says TSCL Chairman, Ed Cates. "For tens of millions of people this has a devastating impact on the long-term adequacy of their benefits," he says. The Social Security Administration recently announced that more than 59 million beneficiaries would not receive an annual COLA next year, because inflation was lower this year than it was a year ago. .Low-income beneficiaries who receive Medicaid in addition to Medicare. State Medicaid programs pay the Part B premiums for people who qualify due to low income and resources. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, there are approximately 10 million dually-eligible beneficiaries representing about two-thirds of those who are not protected by hold harmless. .Here's an example of how it might work: Let's say your husband was entitled to a benefit of ,400 or ,450 per month. Since he was at his full retirement age there are no reductions. You learn that your full retirement age benefit at age 66 would be about ,195, and by age 70 it grows to about ,640. In this case taking a reduced widow's benefit now and letting your own benefit grow due to the delayed retirement credit may potentially work as long as your earnings don't completely offset your benefits. .Medicaid already uses this strategy to lower drug costs, and pays much lower prices than Medicare for the same drug. In June we reported that Medicare spending on the highest price category of prescription drugs, called "specialty drugs," increased from .7 billion in 2010 to .8 billion in 201Spending on the same drugs under Medicaid, the program that provides healthcare for low-income Americans, grew much more slowly over the same period, rising from .8 billion to .9 billion. .Noting the vast and unprecedented danger that the coronavirus presents to the elderly and people with disabilities, patient advocates described the lack of inspections as a shocking oversight.