TSCL is relieved that Congress has finally reached an agreement after weeks of heated negotiations. Another government shutdown like the one that occurred for sixteen days in 2013 could have resulted in delayed Social Security checks or interrupted reimbursements for doctors who treat Medicare patients. We will follow the movement of the deal very closely in the coming days, until it is signed into law by President Obama. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook or our new Twitter page for frequent updates. .The Senior Medicare Patrol informs and empowers beneficiaries so that they may better detect, report, and protect against Medicare fraud. Volunteers focus on identity protection, and they also teach seniors to identify potential scams and to properly read their Medicare Summary Notices. There were more than fifty active Senior Medicare Patrol projects as of last year, with at least one in each state. To learn more about the Senior Medicare Patrol or to find a program near you, click HERE. .He said the out-of-pocket costs that patients are paying need to be fixed and that pharmaceutical company executives would be willing to help cover the cost of such reform. However, he said they want to ensure their contributions would go directly toward lowering patient costs and not into the federal budget to be used for other things. .Medicaid is the largest payer of long-term support services such as home care for the elderly, but states are not required to participate in the home and community-based program. .Last year, I co-founded the bipartisan House Retirement Security Caucus in order to raise awareness about the importance of properly planning for retirement (and the pitfalls of not doing so). As co-chairman of the caucus, I am committed to making sure the federal government does not make retirement planning more complicated than it should be. Just recently, in response to the Department of Labor's proposed "fiduciary rule" that could restrict Americans' access to financial advice, I voted for the SAVERS Act (H.R. 4294), which would protect such access while also helping to ensure that financial advisors act in the best interest of the retirees and families they serve. .As we have previously written, there is a bill that has passed out of the Senate Finance Committee called the Grassley-Wyden bill but Senator McConnell also refuses to bring that bill to the floor for consideration. The Grassley-Wyden bill is co-sponsored by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, Ron Wyden (D-OR). .Unless something totally extraordinary happens, the President is expected to sign the bill prior to midnight on the 28th and at long last the federal government will be fully funded through the remainder of fiscal year 2021 and much needed economic stimulus and rescue money will be sent to taxpayers and businesses alike. .This week, The Senior Citizens League's legislative team hand-delivered nearly eight hundred petitions to leaders in the Senate. The petitions urged lawmakers to support legislation that would boost Social Security benefits while strengthening the financing of the program by adopting the Social Security Expansion Act (S. 427). .Proponents of cutting benefits argue that Social Security, as it is currently structured, is unstainable because there are fewer workers to support current retirees. Social Security is estimated to run short of funds in about 15 years. Without changes and soon, Social Security benefits would have to be reduced by about 22% to match the amount of revenues that the program receives.