This year's study finds that Social Security benefits have lost 30 percent of buying power since the year 2000. This represents a 3-percentage point improvement in Social Security buying power from our 2019 study, which found a loss of 33 percent since 2000. While lower prices are good news in the short term, the deflationary trend suggests a very low COLA in 2021..The stakes are high for retirees, who want Congressional action. Eighty eight percent of those of you who took our 2021 Senior Survey want Congress to reduce prescription drug costs by allowing Medicare to negotiate prices. Congressional inaction would cost all of us dearly, if lawmakers fail to take action to boost Social Security benefits and enact reforms that would strengthen Social Security's financing for decades to come..How To Increase Medical Tax Deductions for Older Taxpayers."When we raise prices, they mess with people's ability to make good decisions about their health," said Ziad Obermeyer, co-author of the study and associate professor of health policy and management at the University of California at Berkeley. "Those decisions lead to more people dying - health costs need to be priced into these cost-sharing policies.".I'm diabetic and get my blood testing supplies via mail order. When I called to order my next shipment I was told I would have to pay the full cost of supplies and my credit card was charged. I thought Medicare covered the cost..January 2007.Compare your drug and health plan options during the Medicare Open Enrollment period October 15th - December 7th. Does your current drug plan cover expensive new prescriptions? If not, you need to check your other options. Chances are another plan will. Use the Drug and Health Plan Finder at. Make sure you carefully enter every prescription drug you take in order to get a custom comparison of your best drug plan choices. Costs can vary by hundreds, even thousands, of dollars, and you may be very surprised by the savings from switching to a better plan. You can get unbiased help to compare your coverage. Call your Area Agency on Aging and ask for the help of a State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor, or visit online..Medicare costs take a significant portion of retirees' Social Security benefits. A survey conducted by The Senior Citizens League found that more than 51 percent of survey participants report spending at least 6 per month on total healthcare costs and more than one in- five spend ,000 or more per month..CDI investigates disability claims that State disability examiners believe are suspicious. The program's primary mission is to obtain evidence that can resolve questions of fraud before benefits are ever paid. These investigative units also provide reports to examiners during continuing disability reviews that can be used to end benefits of people who are ineligible for benefits and gaming the system. Let's tell Congress to say NO to Social Security disability insurance cuts - and ask lawmakers to strengthen our successful anti-fraud prevention programs.
