For years, the age at which an individual could receive full, unreduced Social Security benefits was 6Since the passage of the 1983 amendments to the Social Security Act, the age has increased very gradually. The current full retirement age is 66 and it is slowly rising to 67 for people born after 195Benefits can be claimed as early as 62; however, doing so will result in a reduced benefit. For example, if someone was born in 1945 and claimed benefits at 62, their benefits were reduced by 25%. If someone who is born after 1959 collects benefits at 62, their benefits will be reduced by 30%. Some economists have proposed increasing the early retirement age, currently age 62, as well as the full retirement age. .The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a huge toll on nursing homes, leading to large numbers of residents and staff becoming become ill or dying. We hope that such catastrophes may help focus attention on long-term problems that plague these facilities. .In a draft of regulations the FDA gave the following example: "if a person decides to produce and sell raw vegetable juice for use in juice therapy to promote optimal health, that product is a food subject to the requirements for foods … including the hazard analysis and critical control point system requirements for juices. If the juice therapy is intended for use as part of a disease treatment regimen instead of for general wellness, the vegetable juice would also be subject to regulation as a drug under the act." .I spent the better part of last year trying to determine the cause of, and best treatment for, a mysterious chronic cough. A non-smoker, I'm usually obnoxiously healthy. Last year, though, I went through a battery of four specialists, a long menu of tests, underwent surgery and spent a night in the hospital. Yet by January of this year the cough was worse than ever. .For more information about the Social Security Expansion Act (S. 427), visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. To sign a petition to Congress, click here. To stay updated on The Senior Citizens League's advocacy work on Capitol Hill, follow us on Twitter. .According to information from the Medicare Rights Center, a nonprofit organization that provides Medicare counseling and educational programs, when you notify a Medicare Advantage plan after the move, then your mom's Special Enrollment Period begins the month you tell her plan, plus two more full months thereafter. .Lawmakers Discuss Drug Costs with President Trump .An unusually steep drop in inflation has slightly improved the buying power of Social Security benefits this year — by about 9%. But despite the temporary improvement, Social Security benefits have still lost 22% of their buying power since 2000, according to the 2015 Survey of Senior Costs recently released by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). .Moreover, U.S. dependence on China for drugs and drug products is growing. Its imports of Chinese medical equipment increased 78 percent between 2010 and 2018.