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Last week a group of 10 moderate Democrats delayed a procedural vote for their party's reconciliation bill, which is the expensive bill containing the President's program to rebuild the U.S. infrastructure. The fear is that some of those same moderates may again band together to blunt the drug-pricing provisions going into the reconciliation package..This week, one new cosponsor Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan signed on to the Social Security 2100 Act, bringing the total up to 16If signed into law, it would extend the solvency of the Social Security trust funds responsibly, without cutting benefits for current or future retirees. The bill currently has more cosponsors than any other comprehensive Social Security reform bill to date, and we hope lawmakers in Congress will consider it seriously in the months ahead..According to the Senior Citizens League, recipients of Social Security have seen a 30 percent decrease in their buying power since 2000. Additionally, seniors who are enrolled in Medicare Part B programs or own homes have faced particularly large cost increases. This is because COLAs have not kept up with the increase in seniors' expenses and it is simply unacceptable. This needs to change..Then, in September, our entire country was appalled when a 32-year-old former hedge fund manager, Martin Shkreli, jacked up the price of Daraprim - a drug used to treat a life-threatening parasitic infection in people with suppressed immune systems like cancer patients and people with HIV/AIDS - from .50 per tablet to 0, overnight..Petition to Congress in Support of a Social Security Guarantee.According to Politico, "At least 10 caucus moderates are signaling opposition to Democrats' drug pricing negotiation bill - more than enough to potentially force House Speaker Nancy Pelosi into dropping the reforms from [President Biden's] infrastructure legislation Democrats hope to pass along party lines. Pelosi can only spare two Democratic defections on partisan legislation because of the party's slim House majority.".If you were born during the Notch period and receive Social Security benefits based on your work record, or that of a Notch Baby spouse, you have been affected by this inequity from your first Social Security check. According to TSCL studies, this disparity costs you on average about ,000 to as much as ,000 per year in lower benefits..If Congress fails to prevent a default on the federal debt, older Americans will be impacted in two major ways. First, Social Security benefits would be delayed, and millions of seniors living on fixed incomes would suffer financially. Second, health plans that cover Medicare beneficiaries and providers who treat Medicare patients would likely see postponements in their reimbursements from the federal government. Access to quality medical care could become more difficult for older Americans if that occurs..The big concern is that per capita caps and block grants won't keep pace with the real growth in costs in state Medicaid programs - especially since the reimbursements formulas would be tied to the rise in inflation. Actual medical costs are expected to grow several times faster than reimbursements. States could be forced to reduce spending on older people and younger disabled adults, who account for a disproportionately large share of Medicaid spending. States could tighten eligibility, reduce non-mandatory benefits like your home caregiving program, and nursing home reimbursements, or otherwise ration care.