Interview with author Mark Miller .Second, one new cosponsor – Representative Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-18) – signed on to the Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act (H.R. 1776). The cosponsor total is now up to twenty-three. If adopted, this comprehensive bill would require the federal government to negotiate lower Medicare Part D prices, allow the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, and cap monthly prescription drug expenses at 0, among other things. .Commodities and Services Pricing Survey, an establishment survey of businesses selling goods and services to consumers, used to provide the price data for the CPI .At the same time, prices for generic drugs were slightly lower in the U.S. than in most other nations. Specifically, the U.S. spent an average of Telephone scammers are bilking Medicare out of billions of dollars, and bombarding millions of older U.S. consumers with multiple daily automated phone calls for everything from "free" back braces to genetic tests. While Medicare scams have been with us for decades, what's new is the use of automated calling technology, and the massive international scale of the scams. .The Senior Citizens League enthusiastically supports S. 2554, H.R. 1251, and H.R. 4704, and we will continue to advocate for their passage in the months ahead. For more information, visit the Bill Tracking section of our website. .As with nearly every other aspect of our lives, the coronavirus has changed the agenda of Congress. Discussion of a fourth big spending bill to deal with the pandemic began this week and all three sides (House, Senate, and the President) have set out their preliminary positions. .A Census Bureau poll of how households are handling their medical needs during Covid-related closures and stay-at-home orders found that millions are going without care. In the last four weeks to June 9 an estimated 87.7 million people across the nation delayed getting care, while nearly 71 million needed it for something unrelated to Covid-19, but did not get it, .Accurate earnings estimates: It's important to accurately estimate your earnings. If you worked for someone else, Social Security will need your gross earnings prior to deductions for taxes. In addition, Social Security counts when the wages are earned, NOT when they are paid. This includes accumulated sick or vacation pay and bonuses. .TSCL enthusiastically supports H.R. 1795, H.R. 2305, and H.R. 4613, and we look forward to helping build support for them through the remainder of the 113th Congress. .The Senior Citizens League encourages its supporters to attend these events and to ask important questions of their elected officials, like the following four… .This week, in elections nation-wide, Republicans in the House and Senate held on to their majorities, and President-elect Donald Trump defied odds to win the White House. .After a bill passes Congress there is a certain process that must be followed when it is transmitted to the President for his signature. That is why the extra time is needed at this point. .84 cents for a generic that would have cost an average of elsewhere, according to the report from RAND Corporation, a nonprofit and nonpartisan research organization. .The toll free number for the VA Hotline is . .So, which one should you take? .This week, President Obama released his fiscal 2015 budget blueprint. In addition, The Senior Citizens League's (TSCL's) Board of Trustees traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with four lawmakers and their top aides, and TSCL saw . .The FDA advises consumers to be cautious of websites and stores selling products that claim to prevent, treat or cure COVID-1There are no FDA-approved products to prevent COVID-1Products marketed for veterinary use, or "for research use only," or otherwise not for human consumption, have not been evaluated for safety and should never be used by humans. .In the final weeks of the 111th Congress, TSCL will continue working to prevent cuts to Social Security benefits that are already insufficient for too many of our nation's seniors.