What Did My Member of Congress Mean By That? .Affordable Care Act – Monitor the continued implementation of the law as it affects older Americans. .Workers are never too old to learn new skills, especially if it means access to a better job. .Currently, the funding for Social Security and Medicare programs comes from specific taxes for each program that are levied on the income of every working American. Once collected by the Internal Revenue Service, they pay for current beneficiaries. In years prior to the 2008 recession, more money was collected for Social Security and Medicare than was paid out to seniors. The surpluses were directed to their respective trust funds; however, they were never safeguarded and as result the accounts were raided of cash intended to help our seniors and replaced with Government I.O.U.s. .The period covered by the Notch is a major area of dispute. When benefits are represented on a chart, the disparity forms a deep "V" notch. Benefits plunged from a peak for retirees born in 1916 and hit the lowest part of the "V" for those who were born in the years 1920-2Benefits began to rise for those born in 1922 until they became level with other retirees, starting with those born in 192See illustration below. .TREA Senior Citizens League (TSCL) was formed in 1993 to protect "earned" Social Security and Medicare benefits. Many TSCL members are affected by the Notch, and rank Notch Reform as their top legislative priority. TSCL is the only national senior citizens action organization to continue to lobby for Notch Reform. To date, TSCL has 1.3 million members and supporters who participate in a number of grassroots lobbying and public education campaigns. .Covid-19, for which there is neither a sure treatment nor vaccine, has created a perfect storm for fraudsters interested in preying on people who are vulnerable, frightened, and isolated. Their scams employ typical tactics of the defrauder's trade: empty promises of protection against a sometimes-fatal disease. .Insurers make major changes in their plans every year, like increasing premiums, co-pays, dropping coverage and even closing plans altogether. But according to a survey conducted by TSCL earlier this year, less than 18 percent of respondents said they switched their Part D or Medicare Advantage health plan for 201Medicare's annual Open Enrollment period starts earlier this year -- on October 15th -- and ends December 7th. Medicare beneficiaries should start the process now to find out what their choices are and how much they could save with a new Part D or Medicare Advantage plan. .How much are you spending on prescriptions? Be sure to take TSCL's 2019 Senior Survey and let us know. TSCL is working with Members of Congress to enact legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and supports bills that would cap or reduce out-of-pocket spending.