The Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification (BENES) Act (H.R. 2575) also gained one new cosponsor this week, bringing its total up to seven in the House. If signed into law, the bill from Congressman Raul Ruiz (CA-36) would simplify the Medicare enrollment process and ensure that those nearing eligibility are adequately informed about the program's benefits. Its new cosponsor is Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12). .The Senate Finance Committee recently passed The Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act out of committee and now it heads to the floor for further action. The bill, which has support of both Democrats and Republicans would, among other things, cap drug prices based on the rate of inflation. .Some Seniors to Pay More for Drugs Under New Rule .Initial Coverage Period: During this stage of coverage you pay a co-pay or co-insurance of 25% of the cost of covered drugs, and the plan pays 75%, up to a total of ,005 (beneficiary) and ,015 (plan). This includes any applicable deductible. Your plan's full retail drug cost, not your co-pay, is what counts toward entering the coverage gap. Your co-pays or True Out-of-Pocket costs (TrOOP) count toward exiting the coverage gap and qualifying for catastrophic coverage. .On Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in his first State of the Union. In his speech, the President reflected on the strong economic growth of the country and he shared his hopes for the year ahead. The President said he plans to push .5 trillion in infrastructure investments, to secure the southern border with Mexico, and to offer a pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million immigrants known as "Dreamers." .Key Bills Gain New Cosponsors .TSCL Announces Support for New Bill .Depending on the size of COLAs and the amount of the Medicare Part B premium increase in following years, it may well take Sally another year, possibly even longer, to see any increase in her net benefit. Meanwhile Sally's other household costs have made big jumps. .Each year SSA receives hundreds of millions of employer reported W2s. When Social Security receives a name or SSN on a W-2 that does not match SSA's records, the wage report goes into the ESF while the SSA attempts to reconcile the discrepancy. In recent years the file has been growing at an unprecedented pace—the fastest since the inception of Social Security in 1937.