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Several bills to address this issue have gained traction in Congress and bill sponsors are trying to prevent problems by inserting language into the legislation that would bar drug companies from retaliating against Canadian pharmacies that sell medication to U.S. consumers at the lower Canadian prices. The Senior Citizens League supports the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act. In 2017 the Congressional Budget Office estimated that a previous version of the bill would reduce the federal deficit by about .8 billion over the next ten years..With Mortgage Rates So Low, Is Now a Good Time For Retired Homeowners To Refinance?.It required a mix of financial incentives, unprecedented world-wide need, and government prodding. But drug companies stepped up, and based on their performance in the stock market, they appear to be prospering. The federal government negotiated not only prices, but also it purchased hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines, made the vaccines available to the public at no charge, and has overseen the distribution of the vaccines to states. Those vaccines are saving lives, helping to get workers back on the job, and allowing those of us who are fully vaccinated to carefully start to resume pre-pandemic activities, such as visits with friends, family and grandchildren..This approach is unacceptable to me and reflects the wrong values and priorities. I'll never forget the elderly woman from Galesburg, Illinois who came up to me on the campaign trail last year to tell me how important Medicare is to her well-being. She pleaded with me to fight to protect Medicare because she couldn't afford even an extra in out-of-pocket costs for her healthcare, let alone the additional ,400 the Ryan Budget could put her back..2020 Presidential Candidates' Views on Social Security.This week, lawmakers remained in their home states and districts to finish the two-week spring recess..The U.S. currently has 21 Social Security Totalization Agreements in effect with other nations. The agreements allow workers who split their careers working in two countries to avoid double taxation on the same work. In addition, workers are allowed to combine earnings from both countries in order to qualify for Social Security benefits under one or both systems. The agreement with Mexico presumably would have a very different impact, however, for a number of reasons, including the fact that no other totalization agreement is with a country where so many of its citizens are living and working in our country illegally..The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced plans to test new ways to rein in costs of some of the nation's most expensive drugs, like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis treatments, that are administered in doctors' offices and outpatient centers. The current Medicare Part B payment system, officials argue, provides incentives for prescribing the most expensive medication, rather than on how well it would work for the patient..TSCL recently endorsed The BASIC ACT introduced by Senator Christopher Murphy that would pay the deceased beneficiary's Social Security benefits for each day a recipient lives. The bill would send the beneficiary's estate a check for the days lived in the final month. The legislation would also increase the size of the Social Security death payment from 5 to 50% of the deceased beneficiary's typical monthly Social Security income with 5 as the minimum payment. As currently structured, the legislation would cost an estimated 0 million each year.