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Only 7 percent of people between 45 and 65 describe themselves as extremely satisfied with their sex lives. And nearly a quarter of the middle-aged Americans say they are dissatisfied. Even among seniors, fewer are dissatisfied.

If the House goes along, Congress would stave off a 23 percent cut in doctors’ pay scheduled to take effect Dec. 1. The cost of the one-month postponement, $1 billion over 10 years, will be paid for by changes in Medicare reimbursement for outpatient therapy services.

Raising the retirement age for Social Security would disproportionately hurt low-income workers and minorities, and increase disability claims by older people unable to work, government auditors told Congress.

About 1.5 percent of those patients, or 15,000 people a month, suffered a complication that contributed to their death, the inspector general for the Department of Health and Human Services said.

The report found that while 97 percent of the state's residents were insured, in part due to the state's 2006 health care law, finding a doctor wasn't always easy. Only 44 percent of primary care doctors are accepting new patients, and hospital emergency departments, where care is typically more expensive than in a doctor’s office, are increasingly providing primary health services.

But experts say if you can’t get to a Walmart easily and need costly, cutting-edge medications, it could be a disappointment. You could face copayments as high as 50 percent for drugs purchased at local independent drugstores, “non-preferred” pharmacies as far as the plan goes.

In a politically incendiary plan, the bipartisan leaders of President Barack Obama's deficit commission proposed curbs in Social Security benefits, deep reductions in federal spending and higher taxes for millions of Americans Wednesday to stem a flood of red ink that they said threatens the nation's very future.

“A lot can happen in a year,” said Deborah Banda, state director of AARP Massachusetts. “You may have been diagnosed with a new medical condition, changed medications, or moved. There may also be changes to your Medicare plan. Now is the time to take a close look at your medical needs – including prescription drugs – and make sure you have the Medicare plan that’s best for you.”

For seniors, a group that takes voting seriously, Obama’s health care overhaul legislation was a driving issue. Fifty-three percent said the measure should be repealed — and almost all of this group backed Republican House candidates on Election Day. Among all voters who are younger, 46 percent want the law revoked.

Previously, Medicare would stop paying for a person’s home health care or nursing facility care if the person was considered “stable.” This would force seniors to pay out of their own pocket or stop receiving the care, resulting in the possible deterioration of their health.