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It turned out that Flo was working for the deep pocketed pharmaceutical industry. They successfully used her ad to sink major legislation proposed by President Bill Clinton to add a voluntary drug benefit to Medicare. It wasn't until 2003 that the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act, which added the Part D drug benefit to Medicare, was finally signed into law by President George W. Bush. But, although the bill provided a drug benefit, it specifically prohibited Medicare from negotiating prices with drug manufacturers, even though Medicare negotiates prices for almost every other service and for Part B drugs. High drug prices put patient's lives at risk every day when people can't afford to fill their prescriptions..It would: require Medicare to negotiate lower Part D drug prices, allow individuals to import prescription drugs from Canada, require greater price transparency from drug manufacturers, accelerate the closing of the Part D "doughnut hole," restore drug rebates for low-income seniors, and put a 0 monthly cap on prescription drug spending for individuals. Together, these changes would dramatically reduce drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. In the coming months, TSCL will continue to work towards its passage in Congress..Nearly 1.6 million Americans have Type 1 diabetes, including about 187,000 children and adolescents, according to the American Diabetes Association. Patients with Type 1 diabetes cannot make their own insulin and rely on manufactured versions to survive..That said, logic says we may be in for some pretty big swings in the prices of certain items - such as gasoline. Especially troubling for everyone are steep increases in the cost of meats, poultry, processed fish and seafood, milk, fruits and vegetables. We are spending a lot more than usual trying to maintain a nutritious diet, and this has been going on for months..2020 Presidential Candidates' Views on Social Security.Better access to quality, cheaper generic prescription drugs will provide real relief for many seniors and their families. With building bipartisan support, I'm very hopeful we can push this important reform through Congress..In our analysis, it appears that this new program adds layers of complexity and apparently will drive up the overall costs of everyone enrolled in the Part D plans that participate in this..House Budget Committee Approves Fiscal 2019 Blueprint.Support for the legislation has grown significantly, nearly doubling over the previous six Congressional sessions in which it's been introduced. TSCL is encouraging seniors and their younger family members to contact their Members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor "The Notch Fairness Act, " H.R. 1001 and S. 118.