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While budget resolutions don't have the force of law, the agreements set out the U.S. fiscal year budget and serve as a blueprint for subsequent legislation. The House resolution also includes reconciliation instructions for the GOP's tax reform plan, but the resolution has been stalled due to disagreements over mandatory spending that includes Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid among others..A provision of a recently enacted government spending bill restricts Part B premium increases in 202The bill caps the Part B premium increase for next year at the 2020 amount plus 25% of the difference between the 2020 amount and a preliminary amount for 202The preliminary amount would be calculated the same way that it would have been without the bill but would prevent dramatic increases that may have occurred as a result of Medicare Part B premiums growing when the COLA is so low..According to the Federal Register "Amounts collected under section 1411 are not designated for the Medicare Trust Fund." The Joint Committee on Taxation in 2011 stated that's because "No provision is made for the transfer of the tax imposed by this provision from the General Fund of the United States Treasury to any Trust Fund.".The exact number of physicians with concierge practices is unknown, health care experts said. One physician consulting company, Concierge Choice Physicians, estimates that roughly 10,000 doctors practice some form of membership medicine, although it may not strictly apply to Medicare patients. And the move to concierge medicine may be more prevalent in wealthier areas.."The drug is essential," Heyman testified. "People can die without it… The drug company deserves the right to make a profit. But it is unconscionable that one company, Valeant, can hold Wilson Disease patients hostage," she said in her testimony..Questions To Ask Your Member Of Congress At Your Next Town Hall.This week, House lawmakers remained in their home districts for the final week of the August recess. Meanwhile, The Senior Citizens League saw support grow for one key bill that would increase competition in the pharmaceutical industry and improve access to affordable prescription drugs..On Monday, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees reported on the financial standing of both programs. According to the six Trustees, Social Security and Medicare are worse off than they were just one year ago. Social Security's combined OASDI Trust Funds will reach exhaustion in 2033, three years earlier than last year's report projected. Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will face insolvency in 2024, the same date that was projected last year. However, the program's actual costs are expected to exceed estimates since the Trustees could not account for the costly "doc fix," which Congress will likely vote for at the end of this year..What are the 10 fastest growing costs for older Social Security recipients? See the list here