This past week the House of Representatives remained out of session, but committees continued to work remotely, holding briefings and forums over videoconferencing technology and conference calls. The House will hold votes next week on several issues that have come out of committees and are ready for a vote by the full body. .But a study of typical senior costs conducted by TSCL indicates that COLAs aren't doing a very good job of keeping up with rising prices now, primarily because the CPI isn't fully reflecting the portion of income that seniors must spend on rapidly rising healthcare costs. The study found that the Social Security benefits have lost 32 percent of their purchasing power since 2000. .Of particular importance is the portion of income that seniors and the disabled must spend on each particular category. Under the CPI-W, out-of-pocket medical costs are weighted or assumed to account for only 5.6% of total expenditures. National surveys indicate that Medicare beneficiaries spend far more. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that median out-of-pocket health care spending as a share of income for Medicare beneficiaries was about 16.2% by 2006. .The Senior Citizens League regularly tracks and estimates the projected annual COLA increase with the release of monthly consumer price index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Inflation data through August are confirming that the COLA will be in the vicinity of 0.2%, forecast by the Social Security Trustees, and that would trigger the "hold harmless" provision," Gibbons says. .I'm grateful for TSCL's work as guards and advocates to help us keep up with all that affects what we have to rely on. I've often used the information from this website to contact my Congress members and the President to let them know where we stand on issues, and that as retirees, we are the largest and most consistent voting bloc that crosses all party lines. — Mr. & Mrs. Lance Colvin, WA .Ensure that rebates drug makers now pay to benefit managers and insurers get passed directly to patients when they buy a medication. The White House last year withdrew an earlier version of the proposal, after the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost taxpayers 7 billion over 10 years. .Three Key Senate Bills Gain Support .To cover the projected cost, lawmakers included a reduction in funding to the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created by the ACA to support preventive care efforts, the management of chronic conditions, and developments in public health. .Survey the assisted living and long term care options available in your area. You can start your search by phone or online using the Eldercare Locator 1-800-677-111The Eldercare Locator is a service of the U.S. Administration on Aging and connects people with services in your community.