Could you tell me the status of the Social Security agreement with Mexico? There hasn't seemed to be much news about it recently. If we get a new president does that mean the agreement would be dead? .Continuing Resolution Debate Grows Complex .Some policy analysts argue that the "chained" CPI is more accurate, but the Congressional Budget Office has stated that using that index has limitations. Unlike the conventional consumer price index in which final data from one month to the next is available in about two weeks, final data for the chained CPI isn't available until well over a year and a half. "That means preliminary estimates that are subject to error would have to be used for indexing," Johnson explains. .What does the policy cover? In addition to basic services, make sure you learn about tooth removals, root canals, periodontal gum treatments, dentures, crowns, bridges and implants. Read details carefully. For example, your dental plan may only cover one implant a year, even though you may need to get two or more done at one time. .What Is the Risk of Catching the Coronavirus on a Plane? .For many lawmakers and citizens, this news was disturbing but not surprising. This is exactly why Republicans are demanding that we stop raiding the current program and reform of the system for future generations. Doing nothing is not an option. The status quo will mean the end of Medicare as we know it. Yet instead of putting forth new ideas to reform the program and use the savings to shore up Medicare for future generations, Democrats transferred 0 billion out of Medicare to fund their latest entitlement program, the massive health care law. .The TSCL Board of Trustees and staff are all dedicated to helping seniors. The following services provided by TSCL are considered primary and essential to the betterment of the quality of life of our nation's senior citizens: .Last week the U.S. House of Representatives announced it will not implement the President's directive for employees of the House, joining major companies in rejecting the option. .High drug or health plan premiums don't necessarily purchase better coverage. For example, the generic blood pressure medication Lisinopril is one of the most commonly used prescriptions by Medicare beneficiaries. The least expensive Part D plan in my area charges Locate the booklet of information about your drug plan for 2020. Your drug plan is required to send you "Evidence of Coverage" for 2020, a booklet that outlines your plan's coverage for your prescription drugs, and what you pay in general. If you don't have that information from your drug plan, or if you don't see answers to your specific questions, you can call the customer service representative of your drug plan directly, or you may find information about your drug plan online by searching drug plans at www.Medicare.gov. .The opinions expressed in "Congressional Corner" reflect the views of the writer and are not necessarily those of TSCL. .Too many doctors are prescribing large quantities of narcotics and addictive drugs that may be finding their way onto the streets, or putting patients at risk of addiction. The doctors, in turn, are accepting kickbacks and other "incentives" while billing Medicare for the cost. The following are just three of the examples from a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General: .A major reason that the COLA is so low is the consumer price index that the government uses to calculate the increase. Under current law, the COLA is tied to the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). That index surveys the spending patterns of younger working adults and does not include the market basket of goods and services that is more typical of people age 62 and over. The CPI-W gives greater weight to goods and services that younger workers spend more on, like gasoline prices and electronics, which have dramatically dropped in price over the past two years. It gives less weight to housing and medical expenses even though those two categories have experienced bigger price jumps over the past two years, and are the two biggest spending categories for older consumers. .There's hardly anyone who isn't feeling the effects of our "Great Recession." We've learned of seniors sharing depression-era survival techniques with younger family members. Meanwhile their Baby Boomer children nearing retirement wonder if they'll ever have enough money to retire. .This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill and resumed work on a stopgap funding measure for fiscal year 2015, which begins on October 1st. In addition, The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) saw support grow for three key bills. .Every other developed country has evolved schemes to set or negotiate prices, while balancing cost, efficacy and social good. The United States instead has let business calculations drive drug price tags, forcing us to accept and absorb ever higher costs. That feels particularly galling for treatments and vaccines against COVID-19, whose development and production is being subsidized and incentivized with billions in federal investment. .First, the bipartisan Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act of 2017 (H.R. 807) gained four new cosponsors in Representative Mike Capuano (MA-7), Representative Tom Rooney (FL- 17), Representative Linda Sanchez (CA-38), and Representative John Curtis (UT-3). The cosponsor total is now up to 23If signed into law, H.R. 807 would repeal the Medicare outpatient therapy cap that currently limits coverage for rehabilitation services at ,940. .Judge Rules Hospitals Must Disclose Prices copay for Tier 1 generics, and the monthly premium is just .50 in the zip code used in this search. The most expensive plan charges a co-pay of .19, and the plan has a monthly premium of .30 — a difference of ,055.88 for the entire year counting premiums!