Cutting the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) by switching to a more slowly rising measure of inflation – the "chained" Consumer Price Index (CPI) – is currently one of the most popular deficit reduction proposals on the table. Backed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle – including President Obama – proponents are calling it a small "technical correction." But "chaining" the COLA would compound over the course of a retirement and, after ten years, it would amount to an per month benefit cut for the average retired married couple – an amount that most seniors simply cannot afford to lose. .Finally, two cosponsors also signed on to the Social Security Fairness Act (S. 896 and H.R. 1795) this week, bringing the total up to eleven in the Senate and eighty-five in the House. The new cosponsors are Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (CA-47). If signed into law, H.R. 1795 would repeal two provisions of the Social Security Act that unfairly reduce the earned benefits of millions of state and local government employees each year. The provisions – the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset – prevent dedicated public servants from receiving the retirement security they have earned. .This week, the Senate Budget Committee met to discuss the future of the Social Security Disability Insurance (DI) program, which is set to become insolvent in 2016, and The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new piece of legislation. .Mary Katherine was 90 when a stroke left her paralyzed on one side of her body and unable to speak. It was 1996 and at the time Medicare had a cap on physical and speech therapy services, which only allowed for a limited number of therapy sessions to help Mary Katherine regain the ability to walk, feed herself, and speak. The paltry coverage of therapy sessions from Medicare did not provide Mary Katherine with enough time or therapy to make much of an improvement in her physical health. Mary Katherine, who received a Social Security benefit of less than 0, couldn't afford more therapy and never recovered her speech. She remained paralyzed for the rest of her life, which she spent as a Medicaid patient in a nursing home. .It remains to be seen whether or not Congress will adopt the recommendations made by MedPAC in its most recent report. The Commission is an independent Congressional agency, but its policy recommendations are non-binding and Congress rarely takes immediate action on them. Nonetheless, TSCL will keep a close eye on the recommendations that were made this week, since they could positively affect millions of Medicare beneficiaries if enacted. .According to TSCL estimates, benefits are now 13% lower this year than if inflation had remained the more typical 3% for retirees who have been receiving Social Security since 2009 when the low COLAs started. A Social Security benefit of ,000 in 2009 is about 2 per month lower today than if COLA had been the more typical 3%, with a total loss of about ,697 in Social Security benefit growth over the past seven years. Over the same period, however, actual senior costs have continued to climb. Some 72% of retirees who participated in TSCL's 2016 Senior Survey reported that their monthly expenses had gone up by more than in 2015, despite the lack of growth in inflation. .Understand what is covered and what isn't. First the good news: You are probably covered in case a meteorite strikes your home. Now the bad: Your coverage probably doesn't protect you from floods or even a sewer back up. You may be underinsured. Insurance industry surveys indicate, for example, that 43% of homeowners believe damage from heavy rain flooding is covered under the standard insurance policy. It isn't. To be protected you must purchase supplemental flood insurance or other types of riders to your homeowners policy. The same may be true of wild fires, mudslides, sink holes and other natural disasters. If you live in a high-risk zone, consider adding flood or other supplemental coverage. .William told TSCL this week: "Senior citizens have the most to lose because they are by far the largest population of people who find themselves in need of costly in-home or nursing home care. For Congress not to be concerned with the catastrophic effect this would cause is cruel and unusual indifference to elderly and disabled Americans." .However, the ACA, also known as "Obamacare", already requires health insurers to cover pre-existing conditions. We are not sure why The President said what he did, except that his administration is in court trying to have the ACA declared unconstitutional, and maybe he anticipates a need for his order.