In a press release, Mary Johnson – a policy analyst for TSCL – recently said: "Anyone who cares about his or her health coverage, Medicaid, or Medicare should contact their Members of Congress now." Since many in Congress are undecided on the AHCA, it is not too late for grassroots advocates to make an impact. TSCL encourages its members and supporters to call their representatives in Congress immediately to request their opposition to the AHCA. Contact information can be found HERE. .CBO Releases New Budget Report .Information about critical issues affecting seniors .Does Medicare provide coverage for eye care services or eyeglasses? .The findings show a dramatic drop in inflation from January of 2014 to January of 2015 — due almost entirely to the drop in oil prices. The deflationary trend, while making the price of petroleum products more affordable in the short term, could spell trouble ahead next year for retired and disabled beneficiaries who depend on Social Security for most of their income. The last time the drop in inflation was this steep was in 2009 — when no cost of living adjustment (COLA) was payable the following year. In fact, the drop in inflation is now so deep that TSCL's Social Security policy analyst and Advisor editor, Mary Johnson, forecasts that the COLA for 2016 will be around zero. Going without any COLA is like going without interest on savings and results in a lower Social Security income over time, due to the loss of compounding. .Analysts are warning about potential drug shortages, but there is a system for checking whether there really is a shortage, using reported shortage tools on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website. You can look up current drug shortages at :https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/drugshortages/dsp_SearchResults.cfm .TSCL's Board of Trustees Visits Capitol Hill .This week, lawmakers involved in talks to permanently repeal and replace the SGR revealed that a temporary pay-patch will likely be necessary. Those serving on three committees – the House Ways and Means Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Senate Finance Committee – have successfully negotiated a legislative compromise, but they've been struggling for weeks to come up with offsets that will cover the cost of the 8.4 billion bill. .Rather than working on bipartisan legislation to solve the rural healthcare crisis, many of my colleagues have instead chosen the fantasy of "free" healthcare for all. In reality, "Medicare-for-all," as they call it – would put more than 1,000 rural U.S. hospitals in 46 states "at high risk of closure" among other devastating consequences, according to experts.