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After more than a decade of failed attempts to repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate the flawed formula that sets payment rates for doctors who treat Medicare patients Congress has finally succeeded in passing legislation to do away with it once and for all. In April, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate adopted a bipartisan bill that will permanently repeal the SGR, provide doctors with modest 0.5 percent payment updates over the next five years, and incentivize payment models that reward the coordination of medical care..The Senior Citizens League was pleased to see support continue to grow for several of its key bills this week, and we thank the new cosponsors for their support. In the months ahead, we will continue to advocate for the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act, the Social Security 2100 Act, the Fair COLA for Seniors Act, and get adoption of legislation that would lower the cost of prescription drugs..The Senior Citizens League supports legislation The Social Security 2100 Act, H.R. 1391, introduced by Representative John Larson, that would adjust the income thresholds to ,000 for single filers and 0,000 for joint filers, and replace it with other sources of revenue..Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told reporters this week: "Seriously, I feel good about the omnibus, I think we make progress every day. We started with about 250 riders, our new buzzword for earmarks, and now we're down to as I understand it I haven't seen it about 100.".What are budget cutters looking at? Here are a few key proposals under discussion. After reviewing these, tell us what you think by taking our survey..If your employer has less than 20 employers, beware. By law Medicare is the "first payer" of health insurance policies of small companies. This means you and your wife will need to enroll in Medicare in order for your healthcare claims to be covered. If you work for a company with less than 20 employees and try to file a claim, your insurer can deny it because Medicare is supposed to pay since you are Medicare-eligible. Because you and your wife are over 65, the government considers you Medicare-eligible, whether you have enrolled or not..computer, or running a successful business..With Inflation Dropping - Low 2013 COLA Forecast.Medicare spending in 2013 accounts for 16% of the federal budget. That spending is projected to almost double as a share of the nation's economy in coming years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The House, Senate, and the President's budget plans contain a number of provisions that would cut federal spending on Medicare. But how do senior voters view the proposals?