TSCL's surveys have found that moving Medicare Part D to a pricing system that has similarities with Medicaid has strong support among older adults. Seventy percent of those who participated in our 2019 Senior Survey support allowing Medicare to negotiate prices for prescription drugs using a similar system to Medicaid's. .Currently, the two vaccines available are produced by Moderna and Pfizer. However, a vaccine from Johnson and Johnson could become available within the next few days. And there could be one or two more available in a few more weeks. .Cutting off the flow of benefits when a Social Security recipient dies is important to protect program finances from going to people who aren't entitled to them. The Social Security Administration maintains a list of deceased beneficiaries called the "Death Master File" to help public agencies and private companies know when a Social Security number is no longer valid. Keeping that list up to date is vitally important. But a new report from the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration confirms that the Social Security Administration indeed has a major problem. .Finally, one new cosponsor – Rep. Alcee Hastings (FL-20) – signed on to the Medicare Physician Payment Innovation Act (H.R. 574) this week bringing the total up to thirty-seven. If signed into law, H.R. 574 would repeal and replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR), which is the flawed formula that is currently used to determine reimbursements for physicians who treat Medicare patients. Adopting H.R. 574 would bring increased stability to the Medicare program for both physicians and beneficiaries. ."While there's nothing unlawful per se about rushing to enact policy in the final days of a presidential administration (indeed, it's a time-honored tradition), executive branch officials may not circumvent clear legal requirements in the eleventh hour to achieve goals they couldn't accomplish in the normal course," he said. .Earlier this year, I introduced the Today's American Dream Act (H.R. 1084) to ensure that mature workers can get those new skills and get back to work. This bill contains two key provisions. The first creates and expands computer skill and resume writing job-training programs, exclusively for workers over the age of 5The second adds greater flexibility to existing programs so they can better target and serve mature workers who have unique skill gaps and needs, often because of family commitments. .It is indisputable that Americans are, on average, living longer lives. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, someone who turned 65 in 1950 had, on average, 13.9 more years to live, while someone who turned 65 in 2007 had, on average, 18.6 more years to live. The 2009 Social Security Trustees Report also projected that over the next 25 years the life expectancy at age 65 will increase to 19.5 more years. Many cite this as a reason to support increasing the retirement age. Also, by encouraging workers to stay in the work force longer, more revenue will come into Social Security's coffers. .In particular, the expert witnesses at last week's hearing focused on isolation from the community, Medicare penalties for late enrollment, and a lack of funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), which help older Americans navigate Medicare enrollment. .As part of the economic stimulus bill just passed by Congress those sharp cuts have been put on pause.