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Early in the summer, I spent an afternoon at one of two critical access hospitals in my district in Southeastern Ohio. It's a hospital with just 25 beds and an Emergency Department no larger than many families' kitchens. Still, every year the doctors and nurses there care for more than 2,000 inpatients and treat an astonishing 50,000 outpatients..On Wednesday and Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a two-part hearing to address bipartisan concerns about stabilizing the ACA's individual market, which insures around 18 million Americans many of whom are young retirees who are not yet eligible for Medicare. In his opening statement, Chairman Lamar Alexander said he believes the best way to stabilize the marketplace, decrease premiums, and make certain that health insurance is available in every county would be to continue cost sharing reduction payments and increase the Section 1332 state waiver program..The Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset were included in the Social Security Act of 1983 to help shore up the Social Security program. I believe this has done little to secure the program and, instead, unfairly reduces the Social Security benefits of millions of public employees. Earlier this year, I reintroduced legislation, H.R. 973, the Social Security Fairness Act, to repeal these arcane policies..Despite the fact that so much urgently needs to be done, it is disturbing that the Senate plans to be out for at least 13 of the 34 weeks between now and the election..The practice I'm talking about is known as a "Pay For Delay". It occurs when brand-name drug manufacturers sue manufacturers of generic drugs and then pay them large sums of money specifically to keep their cheaper generic drugs off the market and unavailable to consumers, including our seniors. These settlements can make generic medications unavailable for years into the future years during which those brand-name drug manufacturers can continue making huge profits with no competition..However, TSCL does oppose two provisions that lawmakers included in the package to offset the cost of the 0 billion bill: one provision would increase Medicare Part B and Part D premiums for wealthier seniors, and the second one would create a new 0 deductible for supplemental Medigap plans. Both provisions will require seniors to pay more for their health care, and TSCL feels strongly that seniors should not be required to cover the cost of the poor policy-making decisions that were made by Congress nearly twenty years ago..However, pharmaceutical companies have sent in multitudes of lobbyists to stop the House Democrats bill, arguing that it would deter the creation of new drugs and lead to suffering and death..I've read about proposals to "expand" Social Security that would provide somewhat higher benefits and a better cost-of-living adjustment. How can Social Security be expanded when the program is running out of money?.TSCL's members and supporters, through various surveys and polls, have backed these policy recommendations. Together, they represent a balanced and responsible path forward for the DI program. To read the full set of policy recommendations submitted by TSCL to the Social Security Subcommittee, visit our website. To stay updated on efforts to strengthen and reform the Social Security program, follow TSCL on Facebook or Twitter.