However, with two weeks to go before the October deadline, negotiations have stalled. Leaders in the House have decided to tie the temporary funding extension to a measure that would defund the Affordable Care Act. Currently, a number of political strategies are being considered, but members of both political parties are unsatisfied with the options that leaders have put forth so far. .Senator Nelson also asked Congressman Price about his plans to privatize the Medicare program at Wednesday's hearing. A recent reform plan authored by the Congressman would transform the traditional Medicare program into a "premium support" model, where beneficiaries would be given vouchers from the federal government to purchase private insurance. In the past, Congressman Price has claimed that such plans would result in lower costs for both Medicare and its beneficiaries, but at Wednesday's hearing, Senator Nelson presented a recent report from the Congressional Budget Office that projected premium increases of at least 125 percent for seniors living in Florida and other heavily populated states. He expressed serious concerns about the privatization of Medicare since his constituents would see higher medical costs. .In setting prices, drug makers rarely acknowledge the considerable federal funding and research that have helped develop their products; they have not offered taxpayer-investors financial payback. .TSCL continues to work with Members of Congress to pass "The Notch Fairness Act," legislation which would provide Notch Babies born 1917 through 1926 with a settlement of ,000 or a choice of higher monthly benefits. What you can do: Urge your Members of Congress to co-sponsor and pass "The Notch Fairness Act," H.R. 1001 and S. 118! To learn more about the status of Notch legislation, give us a call 1-800-333-8725. .TSCL is continuing to meet with Members of Congress to ask for their support and passage of "The Notch Fairness Act" which was recently re-introduced in the U.S. House by Representative Mike McIntyre (D-NC), and in the Senate by Senator David Vitter (R-LA). The legislation, seeks to correct a disparity in benefits caused the last time Congress overhauled the Social Security benefit formula in 1977. .Yet, millions of your fellow Americans, receive below poverty level checks adding to the wealth disparity and further eroding the middle-class. .If the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) were based on a more accurate measure of inflation for seniors, beneficiaries would not be receiving a record-low 0.3% increase this year. They would be receiving an increase of 2.1% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Do you support legislation that would base the COLA on a more accurate inflation index like the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly? .TSCL is registered as a 501(c)(4) citizens action organization. Open to anyone concerned about protecting earned benefits, TSCL is registered to conduct grass roots lobbying, public education, and fundraising activities in nearly every state. No government moneys are accepted or utilized by TSCL. .Near the end of the hearing, the focus finally shifted to options for fixing the financing shortfall. Charles Blahous and Robert Reischauer offered some suggestions. Mr. Blahous recommended that Congress gradually raise the age of retirement to seventy, that they reduce benefits progressively by modifying the benefit formula, and that they offer more incentives for workers who delay their retirement. Mr. Reischauer offered similar suggestions, but added that he would like to see the taxable maximum raised to cover 90% of wages.