Low-income seniors would receive assistance from Medicaid, and those with the greatest health expenses would receive additional help from the government. According to the plan's sponsors, The Congressional Health Care for Seniors Act would reduce the deficit by trillion over ten years, and it would save the average enrollee ,500 in out-of-pocket expenses each year. However, a recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that a majority of Americans – seventy percent – would prefer to keep Medicare as is, "with the government guaranteeing seniors health insurance and making sure that everyone gets the same defined set of benefits." .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 new study takes a closer look at the Social Security "hold harmless" provision. Typically, Social Security benefits tend to grow slightly each year as COLAs compound over time. But when the Medicare premium increases more than an individual's COLA that can trigger this special provision of law. Hold harmless protects Social Security benefits when the dollar amount of an individual's annual COLA increase is not sufficient to cover the increase in the Medicare Part B premium increase. If the increase in Medicare Part B premium would cause an individual's net Social Security benefit to be less than it was the year before, then the Part B premium is reduced to ensure the individual's Social Security benefit does not decline. .Even though I have good insurance, I wound up with ,260 in unexpected out-of-pocket costs after being referred to a specialist who ordered "a few tests." I later learned that most, if not all of the tests I was given were probably unnecessary, and not recommended by the physician groups, based on my medical history. The visit with my specialist lasted only 15 minutes. At check out I learned the doctor had ordered four high-tech tests including a CT scan. No explanation was given about what the doctor was looking for, why the tests were necessary, or how they would help, nor was I given the opportunity to go back and ask the doctor before leaving. Nothing abnormal was found in any one of them. While I'm grateful for that, the stack of bills I received later forced me to tap savings that I was hoping to count on for retirement. .Hang up if a stranger asks for personal or financial information. .Why does decision making have to be so hard? How much time is the right amount to spend on thinking things over? Can you even name anyone who never made a bad decision? We can't either. .TSCL is very supportive of the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act, since it would make COLAs more accurate and extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds responsibly, without enacting benefit cuts. Currently, Rep. Deutch's bill has five cosponsors – Reps. David Cicilline (RI-1), Marcy Kaptur (OH-9), James Langevin (RI-2), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-9). We look forward to working with Rep. Deutch and Sen. Begich in the coming months to help build support and to pass the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act into law. .Judge Rules Hospitals Must Disclose Prices .While the U.S. Treasury predicts the government will run out of cash as early as March 31st, illegal immigrant workers may have pocketed billions in 2009 and 2010 in advance Making Work Pay tax credits for which they are not eligible. The Making Work Pay tax credit specifically banned people without valid Social Security numbers from receiving the credit. But because the tax credit was paid in advance in higher paychecks through lower tax withholdings, millions of illegal workers undoubtedly would have received the money, even though they may not have filed a tax return.