"Raising the retirement age would inflict further hardship among a group of workers who are likely to face health and economic problems in their 60s." –Doug Hart, President, Arizona Alliance for Retired Americans
"Of all the lies and confusion that still surround the Affordable Care Act, perhaps the greatest is that it is bad for seniors." - Dave Meinell, President, Missouri Alliance for Retired Americans
"My father died when I was three. Because of Social Security (survivors) benefits, my Mom, my younger sister and I survived." – Diane Fleming, DC Alliance Member
"We fear that Congress will balance the budget on the backs of the 98 percent, which is working Montanans and retired Montanans. We simply cannot afford these devastating cuts to vital services such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid," –John Forkan, President, Montana Alliance for Retired Americans
"Along with national parks and Social Security, Medicare is one of the best ideas we Americans have ever devised." -Tim Cunningham, New Mexico Alliance Member
"Seniors have earned and deserve their Social Security checks, and they shouldn't have to go to Congress every 10 years and beg for the program to be renewed." –James Parent, Alliance for Retired Americans Regional Board Member
"Today's retirees paid Medicare and Social Security taxes in every paycheck we ever earned. Now that we are retired, these programs help us to be able to stay healthy and pay our bills. They are the promise we make to people who worked hard all their lives, and we need to keep that promise for today’s workers." –Tony Fransetta, President, Florida Alliance for Retired Americans
"Today's seniors want to lower the budget deficit. We do not want a large debt to be the legacy we leave to future generations, but we should not punish people who have paid Social Security taxes all their lives." –Jim Moore, President, North Carolina Alliance for Retired Americans
"Social Security should remain what it has been for 77 years – a solid, reliable way that generations of workers have been able to retire with dignity, economic security, and peace of mind." –Barbara J. Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans
"The fight for Social Security and Medicare is part of a larger fight for justice and fairness"—Barbara J. Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans
"The health insurance reform helps not just seniors, but also middle-class families and young Americans, who are just starting to see the benefits. Don’t let Republicans take all that away." –Don Rowen, President Emeritus, Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans
"Honoring the promise of Social Security and Medicare should not be a partisan issue. Honoring the contributions that we make throughout our working years so that we may feed and clothe ourselves, keep a roof over our heads and those of our family, there is no reason for that to be a hotly contested partisan issue." –Edward Coyle, Executive Director, Alliance for Retired Americans
"We need to make sure that people who need Social Security to make ends meet will have it, and not fall victim to ill-informed and unnecessary cuts to these vital programs."
–Barbara J. Easterling, President, Alliance for Retired Americans
Dozens of seniors, in Washington, DC for the Alliance for Retired Americans Leadership Conference, will join with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), other Senators and U.S. House Members for a press event in Room 902 of the Hart Senate Office Building at 12:30 PM on Wednesday, May 8.
In a response to the federal government paying unconscionably high drug prices for dual-eligibles on Medicare, Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced legislation today to require drug companies to provide discounts for low-income Medicare beneficiaries, as they currently do under Medicaid. The Alliance for Retired Americans strongly supports Rockefeller’s legislation which would save taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries billions of dollars.
Strengthens America, Strengthens Our Social Security System
The Roadmap to Citizenship Bill introduced today would strengthen the rights and voice of millions of immigrants and aspiring citizens who contribute to building our country but are denied essential rights in our society.
“President Obama’s budget proposal released today includes upsetting cuts to Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) and to Medicare.
“Switching to the chained CPI formula to determine Social Security COLA benefits will mean an immediate, and long-lasting, benefit cut for millions of Social Security beneficiaries, including seniors, veterans, survivors and people with disabilities.
“Today’s press reports that President Obama will include cuts to Social Security cost of living adjustments (COLAs) and Medicare in his budget proposal next Wednesday are very disturbing.
“The use of the chained CPI to calculate cost of living adjustments is simply not fair. It is not an insignificant tweak; it constitutes a significant benefit cut. Worse, it cuts benefits more with every passing year. It will do real damage to seniors and people with disabilities – in the present and future.
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan unveiled a Republican budget on Tuesday that once again proposes privatizing Medicare and turning it into a voucher system, while lowering tax rates on the wealthy and corporations.
Across-the-board budget cuts that take effect today in the sequester will affect senior citizens across the country.
The failure of the Senate to pass the American Family Economic Protection Act (S. 388), which would have raised revenue from the wealthiest Americans and corporations who send jobs overseas, means that many seniors will face cuts to programs and services they need. Without the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) assistance, many seniors will not be able to pay their heating bills. Without transportation service assistance to help them perform vital tasks like going to the doctor or picking up prescriptions, many retirees will face hardship.
The following statement was issued today by Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans.
“While the deal ending this latest round of high-stakes fiscal drama made some progress toward tax fairness, retirees and workers need to remain vigilant against long-standing threats to seniors’ health care and economic security.
“Millions of seniors would suffer cuts in Social Security from a plan under consideration in on-going budget talks in Washington. The Alliance for Retired Americans strongly opposes this badly-flawed proposal to change how inflation is measured in determining Social Security Cost-of-Living-Adjustments (COLA).
“Looking past the policy jargon and false claims about ‘technical corrections,’ the hard truth is that seniors would lose some of the Social Security benefits they have earned, paid for, and need to get by each month. For example, under what is coldly labeled as the “chained CPI,” a worker retiring in 2011 at age 65 would lose over $6,000 over 15 years.
The American people have spoken. Given clear choices and distinct differences on the issues of Social Security and Medicare – monumentous topics in this year's elections – Americans decided their economic and retirement security, and that of the people in their communities, would be best served by Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
This year, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid were at the forefront of the national debate. President Obama’s and Vice President Biden’s strong positions to safeguard these landmark American programs are in line with what Americans want and need.
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