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In addition, the Senate sometimes holds pro-forma sessions during recess periods to prevent the president from making recess appointments. This is apparently why the Senate remains in the pro-forma session since the House is also out of session. The Senate has the Constitutional responsibility to confirm certain appointments of the President but President Trump has made many appointments at other times when the Senate has been in recess and there are many "acting" secretaries, assistant secretaries and other officials of various departments and agencies serving without Senate confirmation..By Jessie Gibbons, Senior Policy Analyst.If you or a family member have limited income and have trouble paying Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket costs, Medicare Savings Programs may help. If you qualify, you may get help paying for your Medicare premiums and deductibles and coinsurance if your income and savings meet the limits. In addition, you automatically qualify for Extra Help paying the costs of Medicare prescription drug coverage..That is why TSCL so strongly opposes the President's proposal. True, it would be a boost for those now employed. But it will do nothing for those who are unemployed, and those are the people who need the most help right now. There are other ways to aid them, as well as to help the currently employed.."The government now finds itself trying to figure out how to satisfy patients who desperately need help, even though scientists think this particular treatment lacks strong evidence for its effectiveness and policy experts warn it is setting up a budgetary nightmare for Medicare in the future.".Representative John Larson introduced H.R. 860 on January 30, 201It has since been referred to the Committee on Ways and Means..A recent report by the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has also found that high price drugs are affecting federal spending on drugs and increasing federal payments for Medicare Part D catastrophic coverage. Once people hit the catastrophic level of Part D coverage, beneficiaries pay a 5% coinsurance for drugs while the Federal Government pays the vast majority of the remaining costs. But there is no limit. The Inspector General's report said that federal payments for catastrophic coverage in 2015 exceeded .2 billion in 2015, which is more than triple the amount paid in 20Incredibly, only ten high-priced drugs accounted for nearly one-third of all drug spending in catastrophic coverage in 2015..TSCL believes a cap of ,000 to ,000 out-of-pocket, particularly for people who don't receive any "Extra Help" to cover drug costs and out-of-pocket spending, would provide much needed protection that would significantly reduce the current impoverishing level of mandated out-of-pocket spending..This issue has just popped up and TSCL will be in contact with members of Congress to do all we can to prevent these looming cuts and we will keep you advised as to how things are going.