Both retirees and the disabled spend a very significant portion of their incomes on healthcare costs. For many, health insurance premiums are the most significant expense that they incur every month. That includes what the government automatically deducts for Medicare Part B, and what individuals shell out for a Medicare Advantage plan or Medigap policy, and Part D drug plan. According to a policy brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation, premiums account for the largest share of Medicare beneficiaries' out-of-pocket health spending. Four-in-ten Medicare beneficiaries spend more than 10 percent of their income on premiums alone. To get a better idea of what the government does track, here's a list from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS has classified all expenditure items into more than 200 categories, arranged into eight major groups. Major groups and examples of categories in each include: .As prices. Low COLA & 038; COVID-19 Costs Could Trigger A Medicare Premium Spike When the Social Security Administration announced that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2016 would be zero, a stunning thing occurred. The Medicare Trustees projected that the monthly Part B premium would increase by an unprecedented .50 (52%) between 2015 and 2016— from 4.90 to 9.30 per month. What does this have to do with the. Retirement Benefits Could Be Subject To "Inaccurate CPI Information" TSCL is forecasting a 1.3% Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 202Our forecast is based on the most recent consumer price data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (through August) and uses the same formula that the Social Security Administration uses to calculate the annual inflation boost. .It's up to us to see that they do. We must hold our elected lawmakers accountable. TSCL, our members and their families, friends, and supporters will not allow the Notch Issue to quietly die away, but continue to press for enactment of Notch Reform legislation. .(Washington, DC) – About 56 percent of all Social Security households pay taxes on a portion of their Social Security benefits, according to a national survey by The Senior Citizens League. "Recently enacted changes in the tax law will increase both the numbers of taxpayers whose Social Security benefits are taxable and the portion of Social Security income that people will pay in taxes," says The Senior Citizens League's Social Security and Medicare policy analyst Mary Johnson. .UnitedHealth, the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, announced in mid-November that they would be dropping thousands of doctors from their networks in at least ten states. By the end of 2014, the company expects its network of doctors to be 85 percent to 90 percent of its pre-Obamacare size. .The Senior Citizens League enthusiastically supports the Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act and the Social Security Fairness Act, and we were pleased to see them gain new cosponsors this week. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate for their passage on Capitol Hill. For progress updates, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .At any rate, what this means is the legislation that TSCL is fighting to pass which would safeguard and improve Social Security and Medicare still has the possibility of passing this year. Most of those bills will involve new spending, which means they will need to be included in new funding legislation. .Trump Issues Executive Order on Prescription Drugs .On the other hand, critics of the proposal argue that people can't always determine the timing of the application for Social Security benefits. They say that people are often forced to retire earlier than planned due to health problems, layoffs, new technology, or needing to care for one's parent or spouse. They argue that raising the age for full benefits results in reducing the early, age 62 benefit even more than it already is today.