Strengthening Security in Retirement

Seniors have earned Social Security and Medicare. They have paid into the system throughout their working lives and deserve those benefits in retirement, but retirees are finding it harder to make ends meet. We should not be forcing our seniors to choose between their next meal and a lifesaving prescription.

We need to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, not put these programs in the hands of the private market. I strongly oppose privatizing Social Security and oppose turning Medicare into a voucher system. Instead, we must find ways to increase Social Security benefits so that we provide additional retirement security to elderly Americans who are living longer than ever and have found it difficult to save for 30 or more years of retirement. We need a balanced approach to identify revenues and close the loopholes that allow billionaires and multinational corporations to avoid paying their fair share.

We also need to look at the rising cost of prescription drugs. It’s time we start using the government’s bargaining power to reduce the costs of prescriptions. Rural health care providers are being shortchanged with Medicare reimbursements and our rural residents are finding it increasingly difficult to get the health care they need. We need to look at incentivizing doctors and hospitals to operate in rural areas so that all of our seniors have access to care.