The petitions that poured into Congressional offices this spring urged each Representative and Senator to support key bills like the Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI-E) Act, the Social Security Fairness Act, and the Notch Fairness Act, each of which would go a long way in protecting the earned benefits of seniors. The petitions also protested issues that our members feel strongly about, like amnesty for illegal immigrants and the pending Social Security Totalization Agreement with Mexico. .Lawmakers at Wednesday's Budget Committee hearing discussed potential solutions to the solvency challenge, including the Social Security 2100 Act (H.R. 860), introduced by Congressman John Larson (CT-1) and cosponsored by more than 200 House lawmakers. Congressman Larson, who testified before the committee members on Wednesday, outlined his Social Security reform proposal in detail. .On Tuesday, Senators on the influential Finance Committee held a hearing titled "Examining the Proposed Medicare Part B Drug Demonstration." Dr. Patrick Conway testified before the full committee on the status of the controversial demonstration program, which was proposed by CMS earlier this year and has not yet been implemented. The program will test new payment strategies for hospitals and physicians who administer prescription drugs to Medicare beneficiaries receiving outpatient care. It is a new attempt by the Obama Administration to move away from a medical system that rewards volume of care and towards one that values high-quality care. .(Washington, DC) – New consumer price index data through August confirm that Medicare Part B premiums will spike next year due to an extremely low cost – of – living adjustment (COLA), according to a new estimate by The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). "Low or no COLAs not only affect Social Security benefits, the amount of the annual boost also affects the amount of Medicare Part B premium people will pay in 2017," says Jessie Gibbons, TSCL's Senior Policy Analyst. "For nearly one out of three beneficiaries, Medicare Part B premiums could increase more than 22%," Gibbons says. .The research appears to be good news in the desperate effort to arrest the spread of the virus and suggests a way to ease vaccine shortages and get people vaccinated more quickly. .While retirees won't be getting as much of an increase in their Social Security checks in 2020, the Part B premium, is expected to go up considerably more than it did this year. In 2019, most beneficiaries paid .50 per month more than in 201In 2020, however, the Medicare Trustees have forecast that Part B premiums will increase from 5.50 to 4.30 per month — .80 per month more—an increase of 6.5%. That's four times faster than the COLA. .This week, after months of discussions, leaders in the majority party revealed legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act. In addition, in a Wednesday meeting with President Donald Trump, two lawmakers proposed a plan to reduce prescription drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. .The study examined the increase in costs of 32 key items between 2000 and January 201The items were chosen because they are typical of the costs seniors must bear. Of the 32 costs analyzed, 20 exceeded the total percentage of increase in the COLA over the same period. .It was during this time that TREA Senior Citizens League (TSCL) was founded, and of its primary goals became the representation of those affected by the Notch in Congress. Recognizing that Congress created the Notch by reducing Social Security benefits in the past, and that baby-boomers nearing retirement would provide continuing pressure to reduce benefits in the near future, TSCL's primary mission is to protect "earned" Social Security and Medicare benefits.