This year's study found a 3 percentage point gain in the buying power of Social Security benefits from January 2019 to January 2020. That should indicate that most retirees may have seen at least some prices go down on certain items during that period. But this is deflation — which is a strong signal that there may be no COLA next year. This year's 1.6 percent COLA was already low to begin with. A recent deep plunge in oil prices have all but wiped out the prospect of a COLA. .Early Wednesday morning, after weeks of negotiations, leaders in Congress unveiled the text of their .1 trillion omnibus spending bill. If adopted by both chambers and signed into law by President Obama, the omnibus will fund the federal government through September 30, 2016. .Demographics dictate that Medicare spending will climb in the future as more people become eligible and enroll, and as aging increases the need for more healthcare services. Cutting the growth of Medicare spending without cutting access to affordable care for seniors will be a monumental challenge for Congress. TSCL believes a great deal more can be done to find savings by making the system more efficient and to clamp down on fraud, waste and abuse. .My pulmonologist ordered a CT scan, but the person scheduling appointments said they first had to check my insurance. Is this correct? I'm covered by Medicare and a Medicare Advantage plan. I thought I would be covered for any medically necessary CT scan. .A Census Bureau poll of how households are handling their medical needs during Covid-related closures and stay-at-home orders found that millions are going without care. In the last four weeks to June 9 an estimated 87.7 million people across the nation delayed getting care, while nearly 71 million needed it for something unrelated to Covid-19, but did not get it, .Increase the retirement age: Raise both the eligibility age both for full benefits, currently at 66 and set to rise to 67 and, for the first time, raise the earliest eligibility age which is currently 62. .Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (TX-8) said in a statement on Tuesday evening: "We are pleased with the progress we are making and we remain on schedule to take action and approve a bill at our Committee beginning next week." Ranking Member Richard Neal (MA-1), however, urged Republicans on the Committee to slow down. In a letter to Chairman Brady, he said: "I write to urge you in the strongest possible terms to slow this tax reform process to a pace that will allow for reasonable, informed deliberation." .The Social Security Fairness Act — Under current law, millions of teachers, police officers, and other retired public servants see their Social Security benefits cut by hundreds of dollars due to two unfair provisions of the Social Security Act: the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision. TSCL has been advocating for the repeal of these two provisions for several years, and in our December meeting with the bill's sponsor, Congressman Rodney Davis (IL-13) said he will continue to work tirelessly towards its passage in the 116th .This week, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts for the month-long August recess.