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You get them whenever you visit a doctor, or fill a prescription - Medicare's "explanation of benefits" forms. Often perplexing, many people never review them, let alone, try to figure them out. But you might be stunned if you do, especially if you discover drugs, medical equipment, or medical services that you never received were billed to Medicare..Companion, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate by Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Senator Susan Collins of Maine. I'm incredibly thankful for their leadership on this issue in the Senate and I hope our bill is brought to a vote there soon, so it can head to the President's desk..The Social Security OIG report concluded, "Having an SSN on the MBR - regardless of the date of entitlement - improves the Social Security Administration's ability to prevent improper payments," and recommended that the agency take additional steps to ensure the oldest auxiliary beneficiaries without an SSN are still alive. Yet the Social Security Administration disagreed, saying that the Agency "believed current policies and safeguards were appropriate to meet program needs.".Republicans, so far, have been unwilling to go along with any Democratic proposals although there is still bi-partisan work going on in the Senate to try and come up with legislation to lower drug prices..This week, five new cosponsors signed on to Rep. Mike McIntyre's Notch Fairness Act, bringing the total up to seventeen. The new cosponsors are: Reps. William Enyart, Betty McCollum, Collin Peterson, Don Young, and Jim Himes. If signed into law, Rep. McIntyre's bill would provide modest compensation to Notch babies, or those who receive lower Social Security benefits because they were born between the years 1917 and 192TSCL believes that some compensation for this injustice should be provided, and the Notch Fairness Act would do just that..Despite the coronavirus emergency, TSCL is continuing its fight for you to protect your Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits. We have had to make some adjustments in the way we carry on our work, but we have not, and will not stop our work on your behalf..Federal revenues are now expected to be .5 trillion less over the next decade. But, Uncle Sam still owes about .9 trillion in "interest" and the money needed to redeem the I.O.U.s held by the Social Security Trust Fund. Paying the interest and redeeming the bonds will necessitate greater borrowing, new revenues - or, benefits would have to be cut..In the coming weeks, budget discussions will continue on Capitol Hill as committees in the House and Senate form proposals of their own. TSCL is hopeful that leaders in both chambers will consider measures that would improve the pharmaceutical industry and ensure access to more affordable prescription drugs for Part D enrollees. We will monitor the budget debate closely in the weeks ahead, and we will post updates here in the Legislative News section of our website..TSCL Expects COLA Will Be About 1.4%