McKinney - House Legislation

RETIREMENT, SOCIAL SECURITY, AND AMERICA'S SENIORS

As we grow old, every American citizen should be entitled to dignity and respect in our later years. Few would argue that our society could do better in terms of the courtesy and respect we pay to our seniors. But respecting dignity also requires a commitment of material support. America pioneered programs such as Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, creating a social safety net that has served most senior citizens very well by global standards. But with the rising costs of hospital visits, prescription drugs, home heating and more, millions of America’s seniors are watching their fixed incomes shrink to the point where they are truly suffering as a result.

Mr. Bush, Leave Social Security Alone

President Clinton made a promise in 1998 to put a “lock box” on government use of trust funds in order to ensure the long-term viability of Social Security. By the end of his presidency in 2000, he had done it—the Federal Government was no longer using a single penny of the trust fund to pay for government operations. But President Bush and his cronies raided the lock box and six years later they have taken some $500 billion from the trust fund to pay for their tax cuts to the rich, an illegal invasion of Iraq and other government expenses.

One of the ways in which they get away with it is by hiding it in the budget. To help put a halt to this trickery, I have co-sponsored the Social Security Truth in Budgeting Act (H.R.653). This bill would amend title II of the Social Security Act to ensure that the receipts and disbursements of the Social Security trust funds are not included in a unified Federal budget. Social Security trust fund receipts and disbursements totals would be excluded from official Office of Management and Budget and Congressional Budget Office budget pronouncements.

If the Republicans stay in power, they plan to divert another $2.2 trillion from the trust fund for government purposes. This is the background behind the President’s claim that Social Security is heading for insolvency. So what the President wants to do is take your retirement funds and invest them on the stock market, where they would be gambled with, just like cash at a casino. The pitch is that on average investing in stocks will make your money grow. What you are not being told is that the plan includes taking a percentage of YOUR social security funds away from you to pay for the program—so you would come to the casino table with less in your pocket than you had before!

To calculate how you would fare under the President’s Plan, click to go to the Social Security Calculator.

Medicare and Medicaid

Medicare is a program that provides federal health insurance to over 35 million elderly Americans and over 6 million permanently disabled younger Americans. Any American 65 years or older, regardless of income or health conditions, as well as certain individuals with disabilities or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) qualifies for inpatient hospital care (Part A), outpatient care (Part B) and a prescription drug benefit (Part D). Medicare does not cover long-term care and most participants carry their own insurance.

I am an original co-sponsor of the Democratic prescription drug Medicare coverage bill. This legislation will insure that Medicare is capable of alleviating the burden of prescription drug costs that our nation's seniors face, and also to cap the rising costs of the medications. In the 107th Congress I also co-sponsored the Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 (H.R.3861), which sought to make enrollment and making changes easier and to provide protection for seniors from loss of employment.

Created in 1965, Medicaid is a program that involves cooperative effort between states and the federal government to provide health insurance to needy Americans, including children, pregnant women, disabled individuals and the elderly poor.

The number of uninsured Americans is increasing, and meanwhile the demand for long-term care among low-income Americans is also increasing. Because I believe Medicaid is due for a comprehensive review, I have co-sponsored H.R.985, the Bipartisan Commission on Medicaid Act of 2005, which would establish a Bipratisan Commission on Medicaid to review its responsibilities, threats to the program, the mix of Federal and State policies and its overall effectiveness.

I am proud of my voting record on issues affecting seniors. I have previously received 100% approval ratings on my voting record from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, the Alliance for Retired Americans, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare and theNational Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. I will continue to vote for strong programs that protect the well-being of America’s seniors.