Congressional Recess Comes to a Close .In exchange, annuities pay you a monthly income for the rest of your life, an income that can last 20 or 30 years. There are joint and survivor type annuities that continue the monthly income to your spouse after your death, and you can also buy annuities that have a 3 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment. .The CPI-W gives less weight to medical care and housing costs — two categories that have climbed by more than 7 percent and almost 5 percent, respectively, over the past 12 months — and more weight to gasoline, which has deeply plunged over the past year. Older Americans tend to use more medical services and spend more of their budgets on housing than younger workers. Because the CPI-W excludes the spending patterns of people over the age of 62, it does not include things like rising Medicare premiums, which are one of the fastest growing costs in retirement. .The recommendation of MedPAC would combine the deductibles for Part A and Part B services. Currently the deductibles are charged separately and for good cause. About 80 percent of Medicare beneficiaries never pay a Part A deductible because they don't require hospitalization in most years. The Part A deductible for hospital inpatient services is ,156, a cost that is covered in full today by all Medigap supplements. Some Medigap supplements also cover all of the Part B deductible, which is 0 in 201Costs differ for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage depending on the plan. Co-payments would also change and vary by the type of service and provider. .Four Bills Gain Support .The report's findings are significant because the DI program is currently in serious financial trouble. If Congress does nothing to address its funding issues, the trust fund will become insolvent next year, at the end of 201At that point, enrollees will face an across-the-board 20 percent cut in benefits. .By Representative Brad Wenstrup (OH-2) .Get quotes from 5 to 10 highly-rated insurance companies. Make sure you are getting apples–to–apples comparisons for the same type of annuity. .As TSCL supporters know, it is a particularly important issue for older people, who rely on medications to manage the medical problems associated with advancing age. However, drug makers remain adamantly opposed to government efforts to curb prices.