AARP Hearing Center
For nearly 50 years, AARP has been committed to protecting Medicare and Social Security benefits for the millions of Americans who have paid into these programs.
That work is especially critical today as the discussion on how to reduce the federal budget deficit continues to occupy center stage in Washington.
While the fiscal cliff agreement reached on New Year's Day includes important retirement security provisions, we still need lasting solutions to the long-term challenges facing Social Security and Medicare. But we cannot allow our elected leaders to shift the cost of balancing the budget onto the backs of resource-strapped seniors.
Learn more about what AARP has been doing to make sure your voice is heard
The fiscal cliff deal included important provisions for older Americans and their families:
- The agreement delays for another year a drastic pay cut for Medicare doctors. (This is the so-called doc fix.)
- Benefits for the long-term unemployed have been extended.
- The "tax holiday," which reduced by 2 percent the share that working Americans pay into Social Security, ended. This will help restore the program's dedicated funding stream.
- The deal also protects funding for key Medicaid programs, which will help millions who rely on them for their health and long-term care.
- Sadly, the agreement repealed the Community Living Assistance Services and Support (CLASS) Act, a voluntary long-term care insurance system. But Congress set up a Commission on Long Term Care, which will explore ways to support family caregivers and to help people stay in their homes and communities.
Long-term solutions, not quick fixes
As the budget discussions continue over the next few months, AARP remains deeply concerned about proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare. Instead of implementing harmful cuts, Washington should seek responsible solutions that address the long-term concerns facing these programs — such as reducing health care costs for everyone.
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