Issue Position: Seniors

Issue Position

PROTECTING OUR SENIORS

Washington's Failure

We must honor our promise to America's seniors by reforming and strengthening Social Security and Medicare.

Yet with both of these programs going broke, Bob Menendez proposes to do nothing. As a bi-partisan presidential commission explained, "this do-nothing plan would lead to an immediate 22 percent across-the-board benefit cut" in Social Security alone. America's seniors can't afford leaders without solutions.

Joe's Plan

Joe will fight to preserve Social Security and Medicare for us, our children and our grandchildren.

Under this plan, today's seniors and those nearing retirement (over 55) would see no change in their Social Security and Medicare benefits.

For those under 55, Joe would take up the bi-partisan Simpson-Bowles Commission plan to strengthen Social Security and Medicare. We should gradually raise the retirement age to 67 by 2027. For everyone over 55 today, the retirement age would stay at 65. Second, we should gradually increase benefits for all Americans but allow smaller increases for the wealthiest Americans. Third, we should reform Medicare cost-sharing with a consumer-driven approach that puts patients and their loved ones in the driver's seat. Finally, we should eliminate Medicare fraud and reduce excessive Medicare payments to hospitals for medical education.

These reforms will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for generations to come.

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