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Some agree with the President's stimulative plans, however, many on Capitol Hill have aggressively opposed the extension. House Budget Chair Paul Ryan has been particularly outspoken about the tax holiday, referring to it as "sugar-high economics," and preferring instead a plan that includes comprehensive tax overhaul..However, according to a message from Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, she has looked into this and discovered an error in the CARES Act that was passed in March and gave economic aid to individuals and companies in the U.S., that could result in Medicare beneficiaries having to pay out of pocket for a vaccine..Next week on January 24th the Senate Finance Committee will be holding a formal confirmation hearing to question Congressman Price. TSCL will be monitoring discussions about the ACA and the future of the Medicare program, and we will post a summary of the hearing here in the Legislation News section of our website..After reporting her suspicions to Medicare and her mother's Part D insurer, and not getting much of a response, Heap contacted the Los Angeles County sheriff's task force specializing in prescription drug fraud. There she learned the drugs listed on her mother's explanation of benefits forms are among the most desired type in Medicare drug fraud schemes.."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..Despite the House passing a trillion coronavirus relief bill last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not scheduled a vote on a Senate relief package before July Instead, Republicans will focus on the National Defense Authorization Act, the Great American Outdoors Act and the confirmation of circuit court and other nominees this month..Research Medicare Advantage health plans that offer some dental benefits. Medicare's fall Open Enrollment period starts October 15th and runs through December If you are already enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan it's a good idea to compare plans in your area every year anyway, and switch if you can find better coverage at a lower cost. You need to do the math on the deductibles, co-pays or co-insurance for the comprehensive benefits offered, including hospital, doctors, outpatient services, and prescription drugs that you already take before switching. Pay close attention to the fine print on additional benefits. Those dental benefits may only be in the form of discounts with network providers. TSCL strongly recommends AGAINST dropping a Medigap supplement to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan solely based on additional benefits like dental coverage. Those additional benefits can end suddenly, especially when plans cut costs to compensate for lower government reimbursements, so don't bet your Medigap coverage on them..Does the Start of Obamacare Affect Me?.Pharmaceutical manufacturers hiked the list price of a record 832 drugs last month - nearly 200 more than January 2020 and the highest since at least 201All but 10 were branded drugs and 175 of those were specialty drugs, according to the report.