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Low-income seniors, including about one-quarter of all Notch Babies, may be feeling the effects of the expiration of federal stimulus funding for Medicaid that ended recently. The recession drove up Medicaid enrollment sharply, but the federal government stepped in with extra funding to help states cover the costs. Increased enrollment and decreased funding have led states to eliminate some benefits and increase the co-payments they charge..TSCL is in the early stages of understanding the full scope of the impact of COVID-19 on the Social Security Trust Fund, as we continue to work with Congressional Offices to enact legislation to boost benefits and strengthen program financing..Last year the Government Accountability Office in a report to Congress defined "notches" as "unduly large incremental reductions." In addition, the GAO further said "Notches create marked inequities between beneficiaries close in age to each other.".Lawmakers Debate Spending Bill, Immigration.For information about town hall meetings near you during the summer congressional recess, call the local offices of your elected officials. For Congressional contact information, visit our website at..Walden tried to include in previous coronavirus legislation an agreement he and Pallone struck with Sen. Lamar Alexander late in 2019 designed to end "balance billing" practices and cap some out-of-network charges insured patients faced when seeking emergency room care. Senate leaders decided against including this provision in any of the three bills that cleared Congress, according to reports..Members of Congress Support Key Bills.a more generous cost-of-living adjustment by calculating the annual boost using the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly,.Unfortunately, the two other changes that took effect last month will not affect seniors as positively. Young retirees will be hit with an increase in the threshold for the itemized deductions of medical expenses. Those under the age of sixty-five will not be able to deduct unreimbursed medical expenses unless they account for at least 10 percent of adjusted gross income. Those over the age of sixty-five may continue using the 7.5 percent threshold until 2017; however, all seniors should beware that this tax provision may be modified or even eliminated as lawmakers continue to search for ways to reduce the deficit.