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In the coming days, TSCL will be keeping a very close eye on the movement of the omnibus spending bill. If lawmakers fail to reach an agreement before the December 11th deadline, the federal government will shut down once again, potentially impacting the timeliness of Social Security checks and reimbursements to doctors who treat Medicare patients..The Notch Fairness Act, H.R. 615, introduced by Representative Ralph Hall, would allow Notch Babies their choice of a higher monthly benefit or a lump-sum of ,000 payable in four annual installments. The legislation would allow eligible survivors of Notch Babies, persons who receive Social Security benefits based on the account of a Notch Baby, to receive up to 100% of the benefit payable to the deceased..According to the CBO report, the fiscal shortfall is largely due to the growth of Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and interest payments as a share of the country's gross domestic product, while tax revenue stays relatively steady and spending for other programs drops..It turned out that Flo was working for the deep pocketed pharmaceutical industry. They successfully used her ad to sink major legislation proposed by President Bill Clinton to add a voluntary drug benefit to Medicare. It wasn't until 2003 that the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act, which added the Part D drug benefit to Medicare, was finally signed into law by President George W. Bush. But, although the bill provided a drug benefit, it specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating prices with drug manufacturers, even though Medicare negotiates prices for almost every other service and for Part B drugs. High drug prices put patient's lives at risk every day when people can't afford to fill their prescriptions..Lawmakers in the House and Senate have adjourned for a month-long recess, and most of them will be reaching out to their constituents by hosting town hall meetings or attending local events in their home states and districts. We encourage our members and supporters to attend these events, since they are excellent opportunities for constituents to make their voices heard. To best be prepared, it's a good idea to jot down some questions that you would like to ask your elected officials. Below are ten examples feel free to take them with to your next town hall meeting..Mary Johnson, a policy analyst for The Senior Citizens League, said earlier this week: "The combination of higher premium costs and lower premium subsidies that people would receive under the replacement plan would make health insurance unaffordable for millions of low and middle income Americans … Anyone who cares about his or her health coverage should contact their Members of Congress now.".If you are under age 65 and uninsured, be sure to claim the correct income if you purchase health insurance through or a state health insurance exchange. When you purchase health insurance through the federal or a state health insurance exchange, you may qualify for a subsidy that helps lower the costs of your premiums. In reality that subsidy is an advance tax credit based on income. If you received a subsidy in 2014, and your income is higher than you estimated, you could wind up having to pay some or even all of it back at tax time. If your income has gone up, contact or your state insurance exchange to update your information. Coverage for 2014 ends December 31, 201Open enrollment for 2015 is now underway and runs through February 15, 2015..TSCL supports the Social Security 2100 Act enthusiastically since it would reform the program responsibly, without any cuts for beneficiaries. Our legislative team will continue to advocate for it in the months ahead, and we hope to see it signed into law before the end of the 114th Congress. For updates on the progress of the Social Security 2100 Act, visit our Legislative News updates regularly or follow us on Facebook or Twitter..The Senior Citizens League is pleased that Congress has successfully negotiated a repeal of the SGR, since the flawed formula has not worked as intended for twelve years. It has called for physician pay cuts some as steep as 30 percent more than seventeen times, threatening access to quality medical care for beneficiaries. We are hopeful that the new payment system will bring increased stability to the Medicare program.