The Affordable Care Act made changes that slowly close the doughnut hole, but it's a lot like trying to fill a bathtub when the drain is still open. In 2017, those who fall into the coverage gap will have lower coinsurance, paying 40% of brand-name prices and 51% of generic prices. In 2018, those numbers will fall to 35% and 44%, respectively. And in 2020, they will be responsible for the standard 25% of the costs of both brand-name and generic drugs. However, beneficiaries will continue to be saddled with an ever-growing out-of-pocket maximum that must be paid before catastrophic coverage begins. Over the next eight years, that maximum will grow from this year's ,850 to ,300 in 2024. .Congress first approved the WEP in 1983 as part of a large package of Social Security reforms that included increasing the full retirement age. The stated intent was to remove an unintended advantage for workers who collect non-covered pensions, but also did some work in jobs covered by Social Security. .As we have previously written, there is a bill that has passed out of the Senate Finance Committee called the Grassley-Wyden bill but Senator McConnell also refuses to bring that bill to the floor for consideration. The Grassley-Wyden bill is co-sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR). .For those planning retirement however, it is the estimated dollar amount in Social Security benefits, not the replacement rate, that what one uses to determine a retirement budget, or how much more one will need to save for retirement. When one retires, it is the actual benefit amount, not the replacement rate that one must live on. One of the most frequent requests for services received by Social Security Administration is for an estimate of benefits. While no promises of benefits are made, millions of estimates are made annually. If the rules are changed abruptly, as they were for those born during the Notch period, this leaves no time to save for the shortfalls in benefits (if they can be foreseen ahead of time). .Low-income seniors and disabled adults who qualify for benefits under both Medicare and Medicaid frequently have multiple chronic health problems, and more than half have cognitive or mental impairments. More than half of dual eligibles also have annual incomes of less than ,000, and are more likely to receive nursing .Legislators cannot effectively operate on their own without the input of those who elected them. After all, the Constitution guarantees "the right of the people to petition the government for redress of grievance," acknowledging that calling upon our elected representatives is a fundamental principle of our democracy. TSCL's grassroots petition campaign highlighted this freedom and successfully grabbed not just the ears, but the eyes and attention of Congress toward the concerns of millions of seniors nationwide. .Fraud is so prevalent that prevention is only part of the solution. One in 20 seniors in the U.S. is a target of fraud schemes. Yet, the National Adult Protective Services Association has found that only one in 44 seniors report that they are victims of a fraud scheme, suggesting seniors lack information on how to file a complaint. .Rep. Allyson Schwartz's (PA-13) Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574) also gained support this week. One new cosponsor – Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-1) – signed on, bringing the total up to thirty-four. If signed into law, Rep. Schwartz's bill would repeal and replace the SGR, bringing increased stability to the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. .Investors already smell big money for a COVID-19 vaccine.