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Medicaid, the state and federal program that provides healthcare for low-income Americans, is undergoing a massive expansion with the start of the Affordable Care Act. The fairness of that expansion for seniors is drawing closer scrutiny from TSCL..Consumer Reports makes a good point. When you stick with the higher costing brand, the entire cost of the drug under that plan will apply towards your initial coverage limit, pushing you toward the doughnut hole coverage gap. That raises the chance you will use up your limit before the year's end and you'll pay half the cost of the brand name drug in the doughnut hole, and 79% on any generics. You may want to ask your doctor to prescribe the generic version of the drug whenever available..The study examined the increase in costs of 39 key items between 2000 and January 201The items were chosen because they are typical of the costs of most Social Security recipients, and include expenditures like the Medicare Part B premium, that are not measured by the index currently used to calculate the COLA. Of the 39 items analyzed, 25 exceeded the percentage of increase in the COLA over the same period. "This study illustrates why legislation is needed to provide a more fair and adequate COLA," Johnson says. "To put it in perspective, the same 0 worth of groceries that a retiree household could buy in 2000, can only buy worth today," Johnson adds..The far greater worry, however, is a sharp increase in almost every source of quality protein - including meat, poultry, and even canned tuna. "With many meat price increases in the double digits, we are highly concerned that older households may not be getting adequate supplies of protein in their diets," Johnson says. "This was a nationwide problem prior to the pandemic, and the problem has been exacerbated by shortages and disruptions during the pandemic," she points out..The Notch Fairness Act, H.R. 615, introduced by Representative Ralph Hall, would allow Notch Babies their choice of a higher monthly benefit or a lump-sum of ,000 payable in four annual installments. The legislation would allow eligible survivors of Notch Babies, persons who receive Social Security benefits based on the account of a Notch Baby, to receive up to 100% of the benefit payable to the deceased..Will Social Security be adjusted to provide greater financial security, especially for lower-income beneficiaries?.But the hyper - inflation of 2021also means that Social Security recipients are likely to see the highest cost-of-living adjustment in almost four decades. Johnson estimates that the Social Security COLA payable in 2022 will be about 6.2 percent if the current trends continue. "That's a huge boost, coming after COLAs have averaged a meager 1.4 percent over the past 12 years," Johnson notes..in retirement. Strengthen your finances in retirement by developing additional.The plan would comprehensively reform Medicare by transforming it into a "premium support" program, where seniors would be given vouchers by the federal government to purchase private health insurance coverage on a federal exchange. Experts predict that "premium support" models like the one laid out in the "Budget for a Brighter American Future" would result in substantially higher out-of-pocket costs for Medicare beneficiaries over time.