This week, Members of Congress remained in their home states and districts for the week-long holiday recess. Meanwhile, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw support grow for two critical bills that would strengthen the Social Security program. .Guarantee a minimum COLA of no less than 3 percent. .MedPAC also recommended increased financial assistance for low-income Medicare beneficiaries in its report. Currently, those with incomes up to 135 percent of the federal poverty level qualify for Medicare Savings Programs (MSPs), which help beneficiaries cover the cost of Part B premiums. The Commissioners recommended extending the subsidy to those with incomes up to 150 percent of the poverty level. This would save those who qualify approximately ,300 a year in Part B premium costs, and the Commissioners believe it would "free up resources" for beneficiaries who are currently struggling to pay out-of-pocket costs. ."That estimate tracks closely with the CPI data through August," Johnson says. "Overall inflation readings are very low, but that's almost entirely due to the dramatic drop in oil prices again this year," she notes. Meanwhile, the data show some big jumps in the cost of goods and services that older and disabled Americans use the most. But that won't necessarily translate into higher COLAs, because the index used to calculate the annual Social Security boost is based on the spending patterns of younger working adults. Younger people tend to spend less on health care and housing, and more on gasoline and electronics, two categories that have gone down in recent years. .If your mom has permanently moved out of the area served by her former private Medicare health, she will qualify for a Special Enrollment Period to switch to another private health plan. These plans are also known as Medicare Advantage plans. The rules covering the period you have to shop for and switch to a new plan depend on your circumstances, particularly, whether you notified her private health plan in advance, or after the move. In addition, how your health plan learns of her move, whether from you, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), or the postal service — also affects the period you have to switch to a new plan. .Third, one new cosponsor, Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-8), signed on to the bipartisan Fair COLA for Seniors Act (H.R. 1553), bringing the total up to twenty-seven. If adopted, this bill would better protect the purchasing power of Social Security benefits by adopting a more adequate Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Under current law, COLAs underestimate the inflation seniors experience because they are based on the way young, working Americans spend their money. As a result, Social Security benefits have lost 33 percent of their purchasing power since 2000 according to our research. .Reducing prescription drug prices is a top issue for older voters. Seventy – two percent of survey participants support a proposal to tie Medicare Part D drugs prices to those paid in other industrialized nations, through the use of an "international drug pricing index" — an approach similar to prescription drug legislation passed by the House (H.R. 3). .Some deficit cutters contend that the out-of-pocket costs that Medicare beneficiaries pay will have to go up and seniors should pay more for their Medicare benefits. "This survey is powerful testimony to those who hold such beliefs," says TSCL Chairman Larry Hyland. "This survey indicates that they don't understand how much seniors already spend for their healthcare, and how many have already cut back," Hyland adds. "With the majority of seniors depending on Social Security for at least half of their income, and healthcare costs increasing several times faster than benefits, few beneficiaries can afford to pay any more than they already do for their healthcare," he notes. .TSCL supports both prescription drug bills introduced by Senators Franken and Sanders earlier this year, and we will continue to advocate for them tirelessly in the coming months. We will also continue to monitor these discussions on Capitol Hill closely, as the Senate HELP Committee is expected to hold two additional hearings on the prescription drug topic in the near future. For updates, visit the Legislative News section of our website, or follow TSCL on Twitter.