Congressman Larson's bill would comprehensively reform the Social Security program by enhancing benefits and improving the solvency of the Trust Funds for decades to come. He said at Wednesday's hearing: "The Social Security 2100 Act will expand and enhance Social Security, making the program financially stable through this century and beyond. It is the only legislative proposal that expands benefits, is fully paid for, and achieves sustainable solvency as determined by the Chief Actuary of the Social Security Administration." .We reported earlier this year that President Trump issued executive orders to lower prescription drug prices under Medicare by linking them to rates paid in other countries and allowing Americans to buy medication imported from Canada. .Low-income "dual eligibles" — Medicare beneficiaries whose incomes are so low that they are also eligible for Medicaid. Part B premiums are paid on their behalf by their state Medicaid program (about 19% of beneficiaries).[4] .To learn more about your Medicare benefits download a copy of the "2011 Medicare & You" handbook by visiting www.medicare.gov or call 1-800-MEDICARE ( 7). .Also putting pressure on the program, TSCL anticipates that more people will file claims for benefits. While employment was at record levels just a few months ago, many older adults postponed filing for benefits to allow their Social Security payouts and retirement accounts to grow. Now, faced with paid sick leave and unemployment benefits ending, older workers are unlikely to be able to afford to wait to file for benefits if they have lost their jobs. In addition, workers lucky enough to have 401(k)s and IRAs have experienced significant losses in the value of those retirement accounts and will be depending on Social Security all the more. Big changes in equity prices reduce the distributions from those accounts. .Need more help? Free one-on-one counseling is available through State Health Insurance Programs (SHIP). To get contact info for your area visit http://shiptacenter.org. .If the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) were based on a more accurate measure of inflation for seniors, beneficiaries would not be receiving a record-low 0.3% increase this year. They would be receiving an increase of 2.1% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Do you support legislation that would base the COLA on a more accurate inflation index like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly? .In fact, generic medicines represent around 90 percent of all prescriptions dispensed in the U.S., and we depend on China for 80 percent of the core components to make our generic medicines. .The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has estimated that it improperly paid .1 billion to Medicare Advantage plans in 2013 alone. Yet the plans are rarely forced to repay the money they have overcharged, or face closer government scrutiny after the audits, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO report said that CMS has failed to target health plans with "known improper payment risk", allowing the worst abusers to avoid scrutiny.