"Brand-name drugs are the primary driver of the higher prescription drug prices in the U.S.," report co-author Andrew Mulcahy said in a press release. .Should Congress hand over accountability for decisions about Medicare cuts to an unelected board? That's what lawmakers did in 2010 when they passed the Affordable Care Act. The law included a controversial provision to create a Medicare cost-cutting board, known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). .This week, two new cosponsors – Reps. Mike Burgess (TX-26) and Lamar Smith (TX-21) – signed on as cosponsors to the No Social Security for Illegal Immigrants Act (H.R. 1716). The cosponsor total is now up to thirty-one. .The order is expected to apply to government programs and agencies that directly purchase drugs and medical supplies, according to lobbyists and industry watchers. They may include the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Strategic National Stockpile, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. .I would like to know how, at this point, you project a Social Security COLA at 6.1%. Inflation would have to continue on an upward path through September for that to happen. — R.Q., NJ .Medicare Advantage plans combine both parts of Medicare, and the health plans are required to cover everything that is covered under original Medicare. However, your provider may be reporting your doctor's orders to your Medicare Advantage plan in order to get prior authorization for your CT scan. Most Medicare Advantage plans routinely require prior authorization to manage your care and to prevent excess use of care that has not been documented as medically necessary. This practice protects you from surprise bills, and confirms that the provider is authorized to bill your Medicare Advantage plans for your care. .On Tuesday, Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles released a revised version of their "Moment of Truth" report, which was drafted by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform in 20In the new framework, the two recommend averting the sequester – the billion in automatic cuts that are scheduled to hit in just one week – and replacing it with .4 trillion in deficit reduction. .In exchange, annuities pay you a monthly income for the rest of your life, an income that can last 20 or 30 years. There are joint and survivor type annuities that continue the monthly income to your spouse after your death, and you can also buy annuities that have a 3 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment. .The 2100 Act, if signed into law, would increase Social Security benefits by 2 percent, cut taxes for over 11 million seniors, increase the minimum benefit to 125 percent of the poverty line, and make COLAs more fair and accurate. It would also take measures to increase the solvency of the trust fund beyond the next seventy-five years, through the year 2100.