The reception by the Members of Congress was phenomenal. Meetings were held with Rep. David Davis, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, Rep. Doug Lamborn, Rep. John Sarbanes, Rep. Dan Boren, and Rep. Bruce Braley..The federal government remained partially closed this week for the fifth straight week. It remains the longest government shutdown in United States history, and at the time of writing this week's legislative update, only minor progress had been made towards a bipartisan deal to end it..This week, Members of the Senate voted to confirm Sylvia Mathews Burwell as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, The Senior Citizens League saw two key bills gain support..The government will announce the 2017 COLA on October 18, 2016 and it remains to be seen whether Congress will take action to protect older Americans and state Medicaid budgets from unexpectedly high Medicare Part B premium costs. In response to similar circumstances last fall, Congress passed legislation that modified the Part B premium spike to the amount it would have increased if the hold harmless provision had not gone into effect..The COLA as currently calculated is failing to protect the buying power of the beneficiaries for whom it is intended. TSCL supports legislation, the 3% COLA Act, that would ensure a more fair and adequate COLA two ways. It would base the annual boost on an index that more accurately reflects of the costs of older Americans - the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly. In addition, the legislation would require an annual minimum COLA of no less than 3%..This week, lawmakers continued working on an omnibus spending bill, and The Senior Citizens League endorsed new legislation that would give Social Security beneficiaries an emergency cost-of-living adjustment next year..As our nation begins to deal with the problems of the long-term financing of Social Security, we face some very difficult decisions. To what extent should individuals be required to save for their own retirement and to what extent should the government provide for those who cannot or have not been able to save? Proposals for reform have yet to provide answers..Prices charged for the category of drugs known as "specialty medications" are exploding so quickly that they're now a key source of concern for both consumers and Congress. Specialty drugs include those used to treat cancer, multiple sclerosis and rare health conditions. Spending on these drugs under Medicare almost quadrupled in recent years, rising from .7 billion in 2010 to .8 billion in 201On the other hand, spending on the same drugs under Medicaid, the program that provides healthcare for low-income Americans, grew much more slowly over the same period, rising from .8 billion to .9 billion..What do you think? If you have not already done so, please take our 2019 Senior Survey at.
