"While hold harmless is very valuable protection, the lack of an adequate COLA to begin with, and rapidly growing Part B costs, will keep millions of beneficiaries stuck in a no-growth rut in 2018," Johnson says. The Senior Citizens League is advocating legislation that would provide a more fair and adequate COLA, by tying the annual adjustment to the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly. Projections for The Senior Citizens League show that by using the CPI-E, Social Security benefits would be about 9 percent higher over 25 years. A benefit of ,300 in 2017 would be about 2 per month more using the CPI-E at the end of the 25 year period instead of the current method. To learn more, visit..TSCL opposes the BCRA since it would undermine the health and financial stability of older Americans if signed into law. In the days ahead, we will continue to advocate against its passage on Capitol Hill. In the meantime, we encourage our members and supporters to contact their Senators to request their opposition to the bill. Calls from constituents have already made a significant difference in slowing down the movement of the bill through the Senate. Leaders originally hoped to hold a vote on the BCRA by Friday, June 30th, but because they could not secure the fifty votes needed, they have decided to postpone the vote until they return from the week-long holiday recess..In the days and weeks ahead, TSCL will be keeping a close eye on the evolving tax reform discussions on Capitol Hill and we will continue to advocate for policy options that would ensure the financial security of older Americans, like the three mentioned in last week's legislative update. For progress updates, visit the Legislative News section of our website or follow TSCL on Facebook or Twitter..On Monday, a group of three Senators Amy Klobuchar, John McCain, and Chuck Grassley sent a letter to the White House urging the administration to utilize its executive power to reduce prescription drug costs..When you are a hospital inpatient, Medicare Part A covers inpatient services. Generally that means you will pay a one-time deductible for all of your hospital services for the first 60 days, although costs may be somewhat different if you're enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan. In addition, Medicare will only cover the care you receive in a skilled nursing facility if you had a "qualifying hospital stay." To qualify, you must be a hospital inpatient for at least 3 days in a row, and Medicare doesn't count the day of your discharge..Congress is under intense pressure from numerous directions to get rising debt under control. The Congressional Budget Office further warned that growing interest costs on the debt would restrict our elected lawmakers ability to use tax and spending policies to respond to economic downturns or financial crises. And that in turn would increase the probably of a sudden fiscal crisis, in which the government would lose its ability to borrow at affordable rates..delayed retirement credit which is 8.0% per year until age 70 (if you reached.In response to Trump's orders, four Senators requested an estimate from the Social Security Administration about what the long-term effect on the viability of Social Security if the tax deferral is made permanent. Last week, the report was released..The Senate advanced its own bi-partisan prescription drug bill, that would establish a new out-of-pocket spending cap at about ,100. While the Senate Finance Committee advanced the package to the floor, it remains on hold. Nevertheless, these bills continue to be among TSCL's highest priorities for passage this year.