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The Senior Citizens League opposes the plan that was advanced by the Budget Committee this week since it would lead to increased costs for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and it would cut benefits for Social Security recipients. Instead, we support legislation like the Social Security 2100 Act and the Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act, which would strengthen and reform the Social Security and Medicare programs responsibly, without cutting benefits for current or future retirees..One of the biggest items in the news last week that is of interest to so many seniors is about a new drug, which will be marketed as Aduhelm, related to the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. We are not doctors or scientists so we thought we would relay to you some of the information we have seen about this new drug..The Obama administration will decide soon whether to appeal Monday's injunction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. In the meantime, TSCL will keep a close eye on the immigration discussions since the President's recent orders could result in permanent and significant obligations for the Social Security and Medicare programs down the road. We will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website.."This is an important perspective to have in our current legislative environment," says Johnson. Some Members of Congress are discussing indexing the COLA to the more slowly growing "chained" consumer price index. "The current index used to calculate the COLA already understates inflation experienced by retired beneficiaries, because it doesn't adequately represent the spending of older consumers," Johnson explains. "A more slowly growing index would only exacerbate the problem of maintaining the buying power of Social Security benefits over time," she says..We must ensure benefits earned are benefits maintained. That's why I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 141, bipartisan legislation to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset in our last Congress. The WEP and GPO unfairly penalize workers who paid into Social Security and earned benefits in addition to receiving a public pension through other work..Currently, Social Security COLAs are based on the way young, urban workers spend their money not the way Social Security beneficiaries do. As a result, goods and services like gasoline and electronics are weighted more heavily than housing and health care two of the fastest growing costs for older Americans. If the COLA were actually based on the way retirees spend their money using the more accurate CPI-E, Social Security beneficiaries would not be receiving a 0.3 percent COLA in 2017, they would be receiving a 2.1 percent increase, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics..The COLA is calculated using data from the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. Of the CPI groups that the Bureau of Labor Statistics measures, the CPI-W covers only 28% of the total U.S. population, and specifically excludes households "with no one in the labor force, such as retirees.".Highlights of this week in Congress include: fallout from the Super Committee's indecision; leadership changes at the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and a new co-sponsor added to a key bill..TSCL receives hundreds of comments like this from Notch.How Long After Passage Will It Take To Award Notch Benefits? My mother was a Notch baby, born in 1919 and now my disabled brother receives her survivor's benefits. It is only fair that he receives whatever the government did not award my mother and other workers. If The Notch Fairness Act is passed how long will it take to award survivors?