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If adopted, the Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act would expand Medicare coverage to include essential hearing, vision, and dental care. Under current law, the traditional Medicare program is prohibited from covering these basic health care services, and millions of seniors living on fixed incomes cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for routine care or assistive technologies like hearing aids..Nonetheless, TSCL will not let the Senate forget that the need to pass legislation to help bring down the prices of prescription drugs must not be set aside because of the coronavirus threat. Many, many seniors are at risk because they can't afford the drugs they need, and the situation must be dealt with now..By using reconciliation, it would mean there would have to billions of dollars cut from current spending programs, including Medicare..Several lawmakers also asked Congressman Price about comments he recently made to reform the Medicare program before the end of the year. Congressman Price told the HELP Committee Members that there are no immediate plans to reform the program, and that he has not yet discussed the topic with the new administration. Congressman Price has authored several proposals in recent years that would transform the traditional Medicare program into a "premium support" model, where beneficiaries would be given vouchers to purchase private health insurance. TSCL opposes such plans since we believe they would result in higher out-of-pocket costs for seniors, and we will continue to advocate against them in the months ahead.."Public health officials were quick to tout J&J's data as a strong result, particularly given that regulators initially said a vaccine would only have to be 50% effective to be authorized. A vaccine that is 66% effective is an incredibly powerful tool in fighting respiratory viruses, they stressed. 'We would be celebrating a seasonal influenza vaccine with 60% efficacy,' Jay Butler, the deputy director for infectious diseases at the CDC, told reporters..According to Michael Astrue, the Commissioner of Social Security, the report "contains troubling, but not unexpected, projections about Social Security's finances." Income including interest to the combined OASDI Trust Funds totaled 5 billion in 2011, while total expenditures amounted to 6 billion. Non-interest income fell below program costs, however, and should continue to do so through the remainder of the 75-year period. The Trustees estimated that 158 million people paid Social Security payroll taxes in 2011, while approximately 55 million collected Social Security benefits..Big Pharma, the lobby of the big drug companies, criticized the order right away and said the move was "a reckless distraction that impedes our ability to respond to the current pandemic and those we could face in the future.".Not having enough money for retirement is a top concern shared by 64% of Americans in a recent Gallup poll, and the number is growing. Six-in-ten people worry about unexpected medical costs, and more than half worry about their ability to maintain their standard of living. No group feels these worries more acutely than retirees or people nearing retirement..like A.M Best, Moody's, Standard & Poor's or Weiss. You may want to