Congress must ensure that the promise of Social Security and
Medicare remains fully funded.
By Jo
Comerford
Nearly every single American
is intimately connected with the earned benefits of Social Security and
Medicare — as
either a contributor, a recipient, or both.
In fact, a recent
national poll indicated nearly
90 percent of us favor
taking strong measures to preserve the long-term stability of both programs. So
a recent report
released by the trustees of Social Security and Medicare may have caused you to take notice and
provoked you to think about — or tell — your stories. Here are a few I’d like
to share:
Melissa M. of Stinson Beach,
California, talked about her father-in-law, 60 years old, working for low wages
six or seven days each week for 40 years as a manager of a nearby cattle ranch.
“The one thing that keeps him going is the letter he gets from the Social
Security Administration,” she said. It “tells him how much he has earned in
Social Security.”
Alton S. of Lakeland,
Florida, was planting a citrus tree when he felt a pain in his lower abdomen.
That night, an emergency room doctor told him he had a ruptured diverticulum.
Alton remembers overhearing someone say, “We better get this guy to surgery or
he’s dead meat.” A combination of his private insurance and Medicare paid for a
series of successful surgeries. Looking back, Alton believes Medicare is one of
the most “humane and caring arms of our government.”
With a 33-year career
as a nurse, Janet P. of Cotati, California, noted that she worked to keep her
“clients stable enough to stay out of the hospital.” Every time Medicare or
Social Security policy changes, her clients’ lives are affected. Even as she
hustles for others, Janet is aware that she needs to think about her own
future.
“My savings was in my
house, but I lost that,” she said. “I’m older now…getting back that nest egg
gets harder and harder, and I’m not confident that either Social Security or
Medicare will be there for me when I’m not able to work full-time.”
These are Melissa,
Allen, Martin, Alton, and Janet’s stories. Like millions of their neighbors,
Social Security and Medicare keep them going, offering them a humane and caring
future.
Congress must take
sound action to ensure that the promise of both these programs remains fully
funded for coming generations. If our elected officials do nothing, after 2026,
the government will be able to pay approximately 87 percent of projected
Medicare costs and, after 2033, roughly 75 percent of anticipated Social
Security benefits.
The trustees offer us
a sobering reminder, not a crazed alarm as some fear. Luckily there are many
smart actions Congress can take in response, starting with raising the payroll
tax cap and fully implementing the Affordable Care Act. These actions are
within our reach and would have a dramatic and positive impact on the
well-being of both programs.
Our elected officials
need to hear from all of us today. It’s our budget and our future. Let’s weigh
in.
Jo Comerford is the
executive director of the National Priorities Project. You can find these
stories and more by visiting the NPP's Faces
of the Federal Budget website.
NationalPriorities.org/us/
Distributed via OtherWords (OtherWords.org)
Distributed via OtherWords (OtherWords.org)