Home Sale Stalled, But Mom Needs To Move .Many believe that Sen. Conrad's plan entails a fair balance of spending cuts and revenue increases, and they are pleased that he has revived the Fiscal Commission's recommendations. Others, however, have expressed concerns about some of the entitlement spending cuts that it calls for. TSCL in particular is concerned about the adoption of the Chained Consumer Price Index, which could significantly reduce the lifetime benefits collected by future Social Security recipients. .A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass the appropriations bills that allow agencies to operate. As a result, federal workers and government contractors temporarily don't get paid until after the shutdown has ended. But hitting the debt limit would have far more reaching effects. The debt limit is the legal limit on the total amount of debt the federal government may take on. That limit is especially important to older Americans because the federal government has used trillions in excess payroll tax revenues from the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds in the past, and now must borrow in order to pay Social Security and Medicare benefits in full and on time. .The Fair COLA for Seniors Act of 2017 (H.R. 2896) gained two new cosponsors in Representative Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) and Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-01), which brings the total cosponsors up to two. If signed into law, H.R. 2896 would provide a mid-year COLA to Social Security beneficiaries of 3.9% to account for an insufficient increase in 2017, and it would apply the CPI-E to future Social Security COLAs. .Older Americans have lost more than 22% of their purchasing power since 2000, and this year Social Security beneficiaries received no COLA despite a national survey indicating a majority reported higher costs. Do you support legislation that would give seniors an emergency COLA before the end of this year? .Medicare supplements tend to have higher premiums than Medicare Advantage plans, but will cover most, or even all of your out-of-pocket costs, depending on which policy "A" –"N" that you choose. Medicare Advantage plans have lower premiums, but you instead pay co-pays for every service. If you get sick or you are hospitalized, your out-of-pocket costs could be thousands of dollars. But unlike Medicare alone, Medicare Advantage plans have annual out-of-pocket maximums to cap what you pay. Those maximums average ,332 in 2017 but can be as high as ,700. .In spite of the coronavirus emergency, TSCL is continuing its fight for you to protect your Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits. We've had to make some adjustments in the way we carry on our work, but we have not, and will not stop our work on your behalf. .Many Members of the Subcommittee focused on raising the retirement age, though Mr. Blahous assured them that this action could not fix the shortfall on its own, or seniors would be working well into their late seventies. .We know that COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing COVID-19 disease, especially severe illness, and death.