In 1983 government economists changed the way housing costs were measured in the CPI. Housing represents almost 50% of the expenditures of people age 65 and older, and thus changes to that expenditure category tend to have a big impact. Rather than basing housing costs on some measure of home prices, after 1983 the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated costs "based on what homeowners theoretically would pay to themselves in order to rent their own homes from themselves. The BLS then estimates how much homeowners raise the rent on themselves each month," according to Williams. .On Wednesday, Members of the House voted to approve a temporary Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government past September 30th – the end of the fiscal year. Those in the Senate took it up quickly thereafter and voted for its passage on Thursday afternoon, despite reservations from some key Senators. ."To put it in perspective, for every 0 worth of groceries a retiree could afford in 2000, they can only buy worth today," Johnson notes. To help protect the buying power of benefits, The Senior Citizens League supports legislation that would provide a modest boost in benefits and base COLAs on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) or guarantee a COLA no lower than 3 percent. In addition The League has recently launched a campaign for a ,400 stimulus check to help Americans struggling to cope with high inflation. To learn more about these initiatives, visit . .At any rate, what this means is the legislation that TSCL is fighting to pass which would safeguard and improve Social Security and Medicare still has the possibility of passing this year. Most of those bills will involve new spending, which means they will need to be included in new funding legislation. .TSCL is urging older Americans to speak out to Members of Congress about earned benefits like Social Security and Medicare. What do you think? Visit to participate in TSCL's annual Senior Survey. .Representative Peter DeFazio (OR-4) introduced H.R. 1170 on February 13, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means. .Medicare Pays More for Drugs than Medicaid .The Congressional Budget Office estimates that H.R. 3, Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, prescription drug price negotiation legislation which is under debate in the House could lower government spending on Part D by 6 billion over a ten year period, but cautioned the estimates are uncertain, especially if price negotiations are implemented differently that the CBO's interpretation. .Recently I got a notice that my bank account was overdrawn. When I checked with the bank, my Social Security direct deposit was never received. I called the local Social Security office and learned that a request in my name was made to switch from my direct deposit account to a prepaid debit card. I never authorized this. How safe are the direct deposits and what can I do to get my money back?