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There is real concern that many people who are treated for the coronavirus could end up with surprise medical bills. Because of that Democrats want to make health-care services free to people who contract the new coronavirus. If treatment were free, those with the virus wouldn't have to fear surprise medical bills. That would, of course, still leave unsolved the issue of surprise billing for other types of treatments..Medicare has been subject to automatic 2 percent spending cuts since 2014, enacted as a provision of the Budget Control Act of 201Providers continue to bill Medicare in the normal way, but they are only paid 98 cents on the dollar. According to a FAQ from the House Committee on the Budget, the Medicare spending cut for the government's fiscal year 2021 which starts October 1, 2020, will reduce spending by .2 billion..Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse costs about billion a year. What type of measures do you support to put a stop to this loss of Medicare finances?.Could the Social Security COLA Be More Fairly Adjusted to Provide a Fixed Annual Dollar Amount?.Now, it has been reported that the top lawyer in the Department of Health and Human Services has warned in an internal memo that the President's plan to give seniors 0 discount cards to buy prescription drugs could violate election law..TSCL is monitoring the negotiations closely since a shutdown could negatively impact the timely delivery of Social Security checks and Medicare reimbursements. In the days and weeks ahead, we will advocate for proposals that would keep the federal government including the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services fully and responsibly funded. For progress updates, visit the Legislative News section of our website or follow TSCL on Facebook or Twitter..Under current law the Social Security COLA is calculated based on the spending patterns of younger working adults using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. But older consumers spend a bigger portion of their household budgets on healthcare and housing, two categories that have been increasing more rapidly in recent years. "Medicare Part B premiums are the fastest growing cost most retirees will ever have," notes Johnson. "But those costs are not even surveyed under the CPI-W or reflected in today's COLA," she says..These three-decade-old policies have been proven to be harmful not helpful, which is why I introduced H.R. 141, the Social Security Fairness Act of 201This bill will completely eliminate these counterproductive policies and, while other members of Congress have their own ideas on how to improve our Social Security system, this legislation is the only one that completely repeals both harmful provisions..To contact Social Security, you may call toll free at or visit the website at.