ACTION REQUIRED NOW -- Senior Alert -- NO Social Security COLA -- Cost of Medicare Increasing Along with Cost of Prescription Medications

Social Security recipients will NOT get a COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) next year – even though their health expenses are spiraling upward at an alarming rate.

It's up to Congress to make sure 41 million seniors get the help they NEED to make ends meet!

CLICK HERE to tell Congress to address this CRITICAL ISSUE NOW.

You don’t have to be a senior to make your voice heard on this issue. Are your parents seniors; your grandparents; your friends? Then, please, help them by clicking on one of the links below and contacting your representatives.

For the first time in 35 years, seniors will NOT receive their annual COLA (cost-of-living adjustment), the yearly increase that helps them make ends meet and keep up with rising prices.

This is a serious problem and unless Congress acts, millions of seniors will see their checks stay flat – or even reduced – while the costs of prescription drugs, food, utilities and health care continue to spiral upward.

AARP has prepared a letter to Congress and a very easy to use form -- CLICK HERE and use the AARP form letter to tell Congress to make sure that seniors get the help they deserve – and the Social Security relief they need.

The Henry J. Kaiser Foundation predicts there may not be any Social Security COLA for the next three years. However, the per-person monthly Medicare Insurance premium will be increased from the 2009 premium of $96.40 to $104.20 in 2010, and to $120.20 for the year 2011. This is in addition to any drug costs or any supplemental policy they are paying for.

And don't forget - CONGRESS GAVE THEMSELVES A BIG PAY RAISE THIS YEAR. They now make $174,000 a year, and RETIRE with up to 80% of that per year! All the while, many seniors rely on the help of tiny Social Security checks they’ve paid into all of their adult lives. Our seniors deserve better!

The CPI (consumer price index), the official measure of inflation, has not increased in this weak economy but the things seniors need most have continued to increase in price. The reality is that the bad economy has hit seniors particularly hard. They spend an average of $4,400 out of pocket every year on health care alone. With home values in serious decline, severe losses in the stock market, and almost flat returns on interest bearing accounts, it's no wonder that more Americans are counting on Social Security for a lifeline.

It's in tough economies like this that seniors need Social Security the most. We must demand that Washington address the problem of no COLA, cost of living adjustment, and provide at least modest relief for our seniors.

CLICK HERE to tell your members of Congress to act NOW to ensure that this is not the first year America's seniors don't get an automatic Social Security COLA.

I believe Congress can, and must, address this problem. I believe they will IF they hear from enough of WE, THE PEOPLE. It’s up to us to make sure that Social Security continues to deliver on its promise to our nation's seniors.

Here is the letter that AARP will send to your representatives in your name: (It's free and it's easy!)

I just heard that next year Social Security recipients will not see a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their payments. That is a troubling thought for the 41 million seniors whose financial security depends on the program.

While overall inflation might not be rising in the United States, the daily costs for seniors are growing fast - especially on the things that seniors need most, such as health care and prescription drugs. The average senior spends $4,400 out of pocket every year on health care alone.

Further, a depressed housing market, investment losses, and low returns on CD's and money market accounts make it even harder for seniors to recover from the recession. Now is the worst time for a lack of a COLA for Social Security.

As your constituent, I would like you to work with your colleagues to ensure that seniors get the relief they need at this important time. Not only would this relief help seniors afford health care, prescription drugs, food and other basic necessities, but it will also inject money directly into the economy, because seniors are more likely to spend the money than any other age group.

Thank you in advance for your support on this important issue. Please act quickly to remedy this problem of no Social Security COLA.