Rapidly climbing prices for consumer goods and services are making financial choices for older adults especially challenging this year. But eventually, these higher prices might mean a higher Social Security cost of living adjustment (COLA) for next year. In the meantime, older consumers are struggling to figure out how to pay for. Buying Power of Social Security Benefits Wiped Out by Soaring Inflation An abrupt jump in inflation in February and March of this year wiped out a short-lived improvement in the buying power of Social Security benefits in 2020, according to TSCL's latest study on rising senior costs. The study, which compares the growth in the Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLA)s with increases in the. Are We Experiencing the Return of Inflation? , editor .My Husband Had a stroke at 6Would He Qualify For Social Security Disability? .A recent study by TSCL, which examines the price changes in the goods and services typically purchased by retirees, found that Social Security benefits lost 30 percent of their buying power since 2000. The loss of buying power jumped 7 percent in just one year, rising from 23 percent in 2016, to 30 percent in 201The steep one-year loss of buying power occurred as costs rose far more rapidly than the COLA and it is an early indication that the COLA for 2018 will likely be higher than usual. .The Senior Citizens League strongly supports legislation in both the House and the Senate that would address this issue. H.R.576 Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act introduced by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA) in the House would expand Medicare to provide routine dental care. In the Senate, S.22 Medicare Dental Benefit Act, introduced by Senator Ben Cardin (MD) would also provide coverage for dental care. .TSCL is hopeful that President Trump will lend his support to the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act, since we believe it would go a long way in reducing the costs of lifesaving medications for beneficiaries. We will continue to advocate for it on Capitol Hill, and we hope to see it signed into law before the end of the 115th Congress. For more information, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .The opinions expressed in "Congressional Corner" reflect the views of the writer and are not necessarily those of The Senior Citizens League. .Telephone scammers are bilking Medicare out of billions of dollars, and bombarding millions of older U.S. consumers with multiple daily automated phone calls for everything from "free" back braces to genetic tests. While Medicare scams have been with us for decades, what's new is the use of automated calling technology, and the massive international scale of the scams. .To get your health services through Original Medicare. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, deductibles and co-pays may apply to these preventive services. Check with your plan to see what costs and rules apply. .New Co-Sponsors Added