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TSCL's annual senior survey, conducted from January through March of this year, confirmed that monthly household expenses made steep increases over the past year. The majority, 67%, indicated their monthly expenses went up by more than With today's Social Security benefit averaging ,320 per month, this is an unsustainable level of rising spending when there's just a 0.3% benefit increase to match..Under the policy, illegal immigrants younger than the age of 30, who came to the United States before the age of 16, will be allowed to remain in the country without risk of deportation and to get work permits if they have been law abiding and meet certain requirements. Although the policy does not grant legal status, work authorization would provide access to Social Security numbers..While appliances and used vehicles are generally only purchased occasionally, 2020 was not a good time to be shopping for a new washing machine or used car. Appliances increased by an astonishing 17.2 percent and used vehicles rose by 10.9 percent. Johnson points out that, this time a year ago, the price increases of used vehicle prices were negative, at minus 12 percent. However, manufacturers of appliances as well as new cars and trucks shut down production lines at the start of the pandemic. While plants have slowly re-opened, supply chain disruptions and social distancing requirements have slowed production recovery. That's led to long waiting lists for appliances, and the demand for used vehicles shot up..You receive a call that instructs you to press a number on your telephone keypad to learn how you can receive a Medicare-covered back brace. A live agent comes on the line and asks for your personal information, including your name and Medicare number to determine if you are eligible. Fraudulent suppliers and providers steal your information and use your Medicare number to submit phony claims to Medicare, even if you never order a thing..This week, two new cosponsors Reps. David Cicilline and Steve Cohen signed on to the SAVE Benefits Act, which was recently introduced by Rep. Alan Grayson in the House. If signed into law, the bill would give Social Security beneficiaries a 3.9 percent COLA next year instead of the zero COLA they are expected to receive. It would cover the cost of the emergency COLA and extend the solvency of the Trust Funds by closing a loophole that allows corporations to deduct bonuses for CEOs from their taxes..On behalf of the Board of Trustees and all TSCL members, we would like to send a hearty "thank-you," to the Members of Congress and their staff for meeting with us..Medicare - age adults 65 and up, and those who are residents of nursing homes are at especially high risk of complications and death from the COVID-19 coronavirus. About 90 percent of the participants of the new survey, which was conducted online during June and July, are Medicare beneficiaries. Survey response indicates support for strengthening program funding versus no change, or prioritizing healthcare delivery through private insurance plans over traditional Medicare. Only 23 percent of survey participants think that priority should be placed on private insurance plans in order to reduce reliance on federal spending and the need to raise taxes, and just 21 percent think the current level of spending is "about right because we could not have anticipated the scope of the coronavirus pandemic.".Trustees Release Annual Review of Trust Funds.Rural practices and patients deserve a better partner in the federal government when it comes to the health of rural America. History has shown that communities that don't have a reliable healthcare facility struggle to maintain their livelihood.