The government would provide a fixed amount of money or "voucher" to purchase private coverage. Currently Medicare pays per procedure. Under this proposal the federal government would provide a fixed amount of money or "voucher," to private health plans to provide coverage. The amount of the voucher would be limited to the growth of the gross domestic product plus one percentage point. However, for the last 40 years national healthcare spending has exceeded the growth of the gross domestic product by more than two percentage points. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said that over time the vouchers would become increasingly inadequate to purchase sufficient coverage, or that seniors would face significantly higher premiums. .Unlike income brackets that are adjusted annually, the income thresholds that subject Social Security income to taxation are fixed. Because of this, the number of Social Security recipients who are hit by the tax has increased substantially over the years as incomes have grown. .In April, lawmakers on the Republican Study Committee proposed a budget blueprint that would have reformed the Medicare program and cut Social Security benefits by adopting the "chained" CPI, eliminating the COLA for some seniors, and raising the eligibility age. Did you support this budget blueprint, and if so, why? .TSCL will be working for legislation to ensure both hospitals and Medicare Part A weather COVID-19 and its aftermath to keep both strong and working for all who depend on Medicare! .Instead they learned they received observation care, which is considered an outpatient service, and is billed under Medicare Part B. With that designation, patients can have higher out-of-pocket costs even though they may have the very same health problems as people admitted as inpatients. .Now, another warning has been issued that some sanitizers made in both the U.S. and China contain benzene, a chemical known to cause blood cancers such as leukemias. ."The Medicare Trustees already estimate that Medicare Part B and Part D premiums and out-of-pocket costs take about 27 percent of average Social Security benefits," states TSCL Chairman, Larry Hyland. "And that understates actual costs because it doesn't include what people pay for their supplements or Medicare Advantage plans," he notes. "These proposals simply shift a greater portion and more risk to seniors, making Medicare even less affordable for low- and middle-income beneficiaries," Hyland says. "We urge seniors to contact their lawmakers in Congress and let them know what you think of these ideas to cut the deficit," he adds. TSCL lobbies to keep Medicare affordable and protect seniors from cuts to Social Security benefits and reductions to the COLA. In addition TSCL supports legislation to provide a more fair and adequate COLA. .Nationwide, the picture is equally bleak, with more than 60 million Americans at risk of losing access to the rural hospitals that serve their families. What's worse – in order to prevent rural hospitals from closing under a Medicare-for-all regime, Medicare would have to increase hospital payments up to 60% higher than current Medicare rates. .The basic science that has allowed the small company to move so rapidly was developed with a huge prior infusion of federal money to come up with a treatment for diseases like Zika.