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2009 Annual Medicare Trustees Report, May 12, 200"How Medicare Part B Premiums Would Be Affected If There Is No Social Security COLA," Kathleen Romig, Jim Hahn, Congressional Research Service, May 4, 2009 7-5700..TSCL is working to develop legislation that would ensure greater retirement security for older Americans by providing a modest boost in benefits. TSCL believes that a boost can be provided if Congress would raise the taxable maximum earnings that are subject to Social Security taxes - requiring all workers to pay their fair share..According to an article they wrote in The Hill, "Ten thousand Americans turn 65 every day, which means the number of Medicare beneficiaries who need easy access to vaccines is constantly increasing. Vaccines are particularly important for older adults because our immune systems weaken with time. Adults age 50 and over are particularly susceptible to many vaccine-preventable diseases and account for a disproportionate number of the deaths and illnesses they cause. This is why older adults are most at risk of developing severe illness from coronavirus..Meanwhile, the House of Representatives announced they will also be taking the usual August recess if they get needed legislation passed before then..One witness, Scott Serota, President and CEO of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, suggested a gradual shift from the current fee-for-service system toward a series of new payment models that would allow for geographic variability. Another witness, David Bronson, President of the American College of Physicians, suggested a patient-centered medical home model, where each patient would choose a physician with a specific team of caregivers. He explained that his model would result in better coordinated care for seniors..As far as we can tell, the answer to the question of why this coronavirus is getting so much more attention and such extraordinary measures are being taken as compared to previous flu outbreaks is the fact that this flu apparently spreads so quickly. Because of that, it can overwhelm the ability of local health systems to handle all of those who come down with the flu..There is real concern that many people who are treated for the coronavirus could end up with surprise medical bills. Because of that Democrats want to make health-care services free to people who contract the new coronavirus. If treatment were free, those with the virus wouldn't have to fear surprise medical bills. That would, of course, still leave unsolved the issue of surprise billing for other types of treatments..On NBC's Meet the Press program on Sunday Dr. Michael Osterholm, the director.The chances are high that the next president of the United States will sign into law legislation that reforms the Social Security program and extends the solvency of the trust fund beyond 2034, its projected year of exhaustion. For years leaders in Washington have been authoring sweeping plans that would enact major benefit cuts like reduced cost-of-living adjustments or increased eligibility ages in order to strengthen the financing of the program. But the unpopularity of those plans with voters ensured those plans never went anywhere.