Five Bills Gain Support .As much as the protection against reduction of Social Security benefits is appreciated, Barbara has been frustrated about high Medicare premium costs after years of low or no COLA growth. "It's been 36 months since I've had any raise in my net operating Social Security, but my actual household costs continue to go up," Barbara told us. "This isn't fair to retirees," she adds. .Many states that were hit hard by the virus say they chose to provide protective gear to front-line health workers rather than inspectors, delaying in-person checks for weeks if not months. Some states chose to assess facilities remotely, conducting interviews over the phone and analyzing documentation, a process many experts consider inadequate. .Unlike income tax brackets that are adjusted for inflation, the income thresholds that subject Social Security benefits to taxation have never been adjusted since Social Security benefits became taxable in 198When the law was first passed, less than 10 percent of all Social Security recipients were estimated to have incomes high enough to be affected by the tax on benefits. But today, even retirees with very modest incomes can be affected by the tax. .The Senior Citizens League encourages its supporters to attend these events and to ask important questions of their elected officials, like the following three… .Medicare Advantage, and its predecessor Medicare+Choice —both known as Medicare Part "C" — however, has no clear track record of saving the government money. In fact, for a number of years, Medicare Advantage cost more than traditional Medicare. .The financial impact of six years of low COLAs isn't immediately apparent to the average person, but "It's a big one, " Cates says. A new analysis for TSCL that compared the increases from 2010 through 2015 against the prior 3% average found that, altogether, the benefits of the typical Social Security recipient will be about ,298 lower by the end of 201In 2015 the average monthly Social Security benefit will be about 3 lower, and ,356 less for the year. .This week, Members of Congress returned to Washington to begin working on a temporary measure that would avert a government shutdown on October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) announced its support for one new piece of legislation, and three key bills gained cosponsors. ."Another factor affecting retirement income is the amount of the initial Social Security benefit when one first retires. Social Security benefits are not growing as quickly as in in previous decades," Johnson says. This is particularly true for middle to lower earning workers due to the slow growth in real wages over decades. According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, between 1979 to 2018, real wages have grown for top earners, but have stagnated or fallen for middle to lower earners. "That is reflected in the (often disappointing) initial Social Security benefits of new retirees," Johnson says.