On Wednesday, just hours before funding for the federal government was set to expire, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a shutdown like the one that occurred two years ago. The temporary fix will provide enough funding to last through December 11th. .People most at risk of owing taxes include: .After receiving no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) this year, Social Security beneficiaries will finally receive a raise effective January 1st. But the increase in benefits is so small, it will be the lowest payable COLA ever in the history of the program — raising a ,000 benefit by just .00. .And, there's more! "The Best Ways to Save" has helped hundreds of thousands of seniors live better in retirement with valuable tips for getting the most out of Social Security and Medicare benefits and stretching retirement income. To request your free special issue send for postage and handling to: The Senior Citizens League, ATTN: BWTS, 1001 N. Fairfax St., 101, Alexandria, VA 2231Or visit TSCL on the web at . .I heard that Medicare would be mailing new cards. When can I expect to get mine? .The recommendation of MedPAC would combine the deductibles for Part A and Part B services. Currently the deductibles are charged separately and for good cause. About 80 percent of Medicare beneficiaries never pay a Part A deductible because they don't require hospitalization in most years. The Part A deductible for hospital inpatient services is ,156, a cost that is covered in full today by all Medigap supplements. Some Medigap supplements also cover all of the Part B deductible, which is 0 in 201Costs differ for seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage depending on the plan. Co-payments would also change and vary by the type of service and provider. .If signed into law, H.R. 1716 would prohibit unauthorized workers from receiving Social Security benefits based on work done while in the country illegally, using stolen, fake, or fraudulent Social Security numbers. TSCL was pleased to see support grow for H.R. 1716 this week, and we will continue to advocate for it on Capitol Hill in the coming months, since we feel strongly that protecting the integrity of the Social Security program is of utmost importance. .Despite these obstacles, Rep. Rogers and Sen. Mikulski have said they remain committed to passing an omnibus this year, and they have reportedly instructed their aides to have a line-by-line spending plan ready by December 8th. TSCL is hopeful that a compromise can be reached before the looming deadline, since failing to do so would likely have a negative effect on Social Security and Medicare beneficiaries. In the coming weeks, we will continue to keep a close eye on the evolving discussions, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website. .Year after year, seniors are struggling with higher-priced groceries, copays, deductibles and prescription medications. To make matters worse, Republicans in Congress are passing bills that raise healthcare and housing costs for seniors.