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This week, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees released their annual reports on the state of the trust funds, and one key bill gained critical support..It turned out that Flo was working for the deep pocketed pharmaceutical industry. They successfully used her ad to sink major legislation proposed by President Bill Clinton to add a voluntary drug benefit to Medicare. It wasn't until 2003 that the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act, which added the Part D drug benefit to Medicare, was finally signed into law by President George W. Bush. But, although the bill provided a drug benefit, it specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating prices with drug manufacturers, even though Medicare negotiates prices for almost every other service and for Part B drugs. High drug prices put patient's lives at risk every day when people can't afford to fill their prescriptions..I turn 65 next year, and have very good healthcare coverage through my husband's employer. I need Humira for rheumatoid arthritis. The drug retails for more than ,250 a dose, which I require monthly. My husband's plan normally has a co-pay of 0 for Humira, but through a special arrangement I'm required to pay only $Do I have to give up this coverage when I sign up for Medicare?.New Poll By The Senior Citizens League: Majority Feel "No Budget, No Pay" Gets Congress Back On Track.About one quarter of all Medicare beneficiaries are covered by Medigap polices. Out-of-pocket costs under Medicare are considerable, and most beneficiaries supplement their coverage either by purchasing a Medigap policy or joining a Medicare Advantage plan. Unlike Medicare Advantage, however, Medigap enrollees in most states are not able to switch to another Medigap policy during fall open enrollment, because insurers are not required to cover pre-existing conditions outside of the individual's initial enrollment period. Seventy-two percent of survey participants support extending guaranteed coverage for pre-existing conditions to Medigap, allowing Medigap enrollees greater freedom to switch to other, less costly, Medigap plans..Increasing funding for Continuing Disability Reviews, which are conducted periodically to ensure that disabled enrollees still qualify for benefits. CDRs return to the program for every invested..More than two-thirds of medical practices report that 2019 Medicare payments will not cover the cost of delivering care to beneficiaries according to one poll..On Wednesday, Sen. Michael Enzi and Rep. Tom Price Chairmen of the Senate and House Budget Committees released their fiscal 2016 conference budget resolution. Shortly thereafter, House lawmakers passed it along party lines, with a vote of 226-197..There's an old saying: "Laws are like sausages; it is better not to see them being made."