Oxford's study, however, found that the vaccine not only prevented severe disease but appeared to cut transmission of the virus by two-thirds. The study has not been peer-reviewed yet. .Wall Street economists are in the midst of a growing debate over whether we are in for "the return of inflation." (Oh, go ahead and snort. I did too when I first read about this.) .In recent years, inflation and COLAs have been virtually flat, averaging just 1.1% per year since 2010 — with no COLA at all in 2016 and just a 0.3% COLA in 201Slow growth in Social Security benefits, particularly when it continues over a period as long as 8 years, has a very significant impact on the overall amount of lifetime income that retirees can expect from Social Security. When retiree costs climb while benefits remain flat, people wind up having to dig more deeply into retirement savings (if they have any), spending more quickly than anticipated. Many people without other pensions or savings are forced into debt. About one in four low-income older Americans is dependent on programs that provide assistance with essentials like food and healthcare costs. .He predicted that lawmakers will pass a six-month "doc fix" later this month in order to buy more time for the offset discussions. If Congress takes that route, the temporary pay patch would expire at the end of September – the same time that funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will run out. Rep. Price suggested that a permanent repeal of the SGR would likely be rolled into a package with CHIP's reauthorization. .Before a vaccine was approved for distribution, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission posted a warning about fake stock offers pitching a nonexistent biotech company allegedly developing a vaccine. .Protection of the Social Security Trust Fund – Ensuring that the program's assets are locked out of the general budget. .For example, the CMF report offers suggestions on how House member offices can most effectively absorb additional cuts. Most notably, these include salary freezes, a potential shift to increased e-mail use over traditional mail, and limited travel expenses to district functions. ."The president's plan to import policies from socialized health care systems abroad is disrupting our work [on Covid-19 therapies] and diverting our focus away from those life-saving efforts," the spokesperson said. "We remain willing to discuss ways to lower costs for patients at the pharmacy counter. However, we remain steadfastly opposed to policies that would allow foreign governments to set prices for medicines in the United States." .Cutting off the flow of benefits when a Social Security recipient dies is important to protect program finances from going to people who aren't entitled to them. The Social Security Administration maintains a list of deceased beneficiaries called the "Death Master File" to help public agencies and private companies know when a Social Security number is no longer valid. Keeping that list up to date is vitally important. But a new report from the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration confirms that the Social Security Administration indeed has a major problem.