Recent healthcare cost data have the experts perplexed. According to a new analysis from actuaries of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, national healthcare spending in 2011 grew at just 3.9 percent. This is the third consecutive year it's grown so slowly, making it the slowest pace in the more than 50 years such data have been tracked. Federal officials don't know for sure if it's a temporary fluke due to prolonged recessionary effects, or part of a long-term trend. .Some 48 percent of participants in The Senior Citizens League latest survey, reported that they expect to pay income taxes on a portion of their Social Security benefits for the 2020 tax year. That's down from 53 percent who reported paying income taxes on their Social Security benefits for the 2019 tax year. But that wasn't the only change. Far fewer retirees also indicated that they would not pay tax on their Social Security benefits — 32 percent for 2020 tax year versus 41 percent for the 2019 tax year. .Rick retired from the U.S. Air Force as a First Sergeant with the rank of Master Sergeant in October of 1989 and makes his home in Warner Robins, Georgia, with his wife of 43 years, Pat. .The Medicare Trustees estimated that the base monthly Medicare Part B premium in 2012 would be 6.60. For seniors who became eligible for Medicare in 2010, that may be a modest savings. Those seniors are probably paying a base premium of 0.50 for Part B. But most seniors will pay more. You should plan accordingly as well since any increases in your Medicare supplemental plan and drug coverage and out-of-pocket costs, would very likely offset what little savings you may get on Part B. .Deciding when to file is the biggest decision you face. Social Security benefits are calculated using a formula called the primary insurance amount, or PIA. Seniors who wait to start receiving Social Security until their full retirement age (currently 66) receive 100 percent of PIA; taking benefits at 62, the first year of eligibility, gets them 75 percent of PIA. By waiting until age 70, they'll receive 132 percent of the PIA – nearly double the monthly income for the rest of their lives. Those benefits are enhanced by an annual cost-of-living adjustment, which is added back in for any years of delayed filing. .The Senate was not in session and is scheduled to return on January 25th. .Elmendorf began his testimony by sharing some grim projections that have recently been developed by the CBO. He stated that the economy will likely grow by only 1.5 percent this year, and that next year, it's expected to increase by only 2.5 percent. He also announced that the unemployment rate will continue to hover around the 9 percent mark until the end of 2012. .Source: James W. Kelley & Joseph R. Humphreys, "Congressional Intent Concerning The Notch Issue: Legislative Background of the 1977 Social Security Amendments," 1994.Source: Congressional Research Service May 24, 1999 .Congress should prohibit "surprise medical bills. Congress should require healthcare providers and insurers to accept fees no greater than 20 percent more than the Medicare approved fees as settlement. — 82 percent support, 15 percent not sure, and only 4 percent opposed. (Legislation passed in December would provide relief from surprise medical bills but stopped short of tying payments to prices paid by Medicare and Medicaid which are often lower than other rates negotiated by other insurers.)