Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
During his weekly address yesterday, House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told the press that major cuts to Medicare benefits must be on the table:
Hoyer said GOP proposals to raise the Medicare eligibility age, make wealthier seniors pay higher Medicare rates and limit the cost-of-living increases for some federal programs are legitimate ones, even as he warned he might not support them.
“They clearly are on the table,” Hoyer said of the Medicare changes during his weekly press briefing in the Capitol. “They were on the table in the Boehner-Obama talks. They’ve been on the table for some period of time. That does not mean that I’d be prepared to adopt them now, but they’re clearly, I think, on the table.”
Seniors on Medicare did not cause our deficit — Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, two wars, and Wall Street’s recession did. They should not be asked to pay through their hard-earned benefits.
Donna Rodgers says:
Is this still AMERICA or what…..STOP THE REPUBLICAN IDIOTS…
MargieR1802 says:
Actually, as a progressive in most matters, I believe that raising the age of eligibility to 70, will make sure that Medicare remains solvent for many years to come. The original age of 65, was not the average life expectancy, at the time. Only about 20% or fewer people lived long enough to get benefits. The tax level was based on that figure. Now most people live well into their 70′s and the tax level cannot sustain medicare as it is now with the current age of eligibility.
Raising the age level to 70, over the next few years would be less painful for the public as Obamacare is phased in and those individuals who are in that gap age group can have the public option if they are too poor to buy health insurance. (I support universal health care, absolutely, but I think we already have the infrastructure in place to care for those retirees who are too poor to afford private insurance.) The law may need to be tweaked some to cover anyone who might be in a gap between not poor enough for the public option, but not old enough for medicare.
Alan says:
The “average age is now xx” argument is a canard. The average might actually be higher than 65, now, but when you break it down by economic status, the lower income groups are still somewhere down close to 65, while the upper income groups (the ones who can afford good health care/insurance) have added several years to their life expectancy. Those most likely to really need it at age 65, would find themselves left out in the cold if the age level is raised.
Martha says:
Donna, Hoyer is a Democrat.
Twilla Runyon says:
Well it looks not only do we have to fight the GOP on this but some Democrats as well,easy to ask others I guess to work years longer when you are taken care of, I say do away with their pensions and make them rely only on SS. And if we don’t receive COLA then they receive no pay raises either.This is not what we voted for!
john spagnola says:
You are obviously tone deaf to the majority whom you are presumed to represent. Keep Medicare of the table, keep Social Security off of the table, and keep Medicaid off the table, or we, who hold our power in terms of numbers will use our vote to exclude you from that table in the future! You work for “We the People”!
Michelle Snyder says:
I think you are right. Medicare clearly needs to have cuts made. It is just logic. We are facing a huge deficit of Doctors (increasingly so since obamacare ) and there simply will not be enough to provide any adequate coverage in this existing system as the baby boomers approach an elderly age.
Colleen A Kennedy says:
Do NOT put Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security cuts on the table. Why not cut the subsidies to mega farmers instead. Thank you.
Lisa says:
Typical older “I got mine” selfish SOB.
Connor Murray says:
You need to fear voters more than you fear not having campaign money from Big Biz
Amy says:
Senator Hoyer,
Do NOT put Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security on the table. That would be a huge mistake and would hurt many Americans. Listen to the American people… the majority does not want any of those touched.
mike Frazier says:
would be helpful if you listed a phone number for him.
Brian Oelrich says:
Those who will NEVER need social security, medicare, medicaid, SNAP, WIC, Pell Grants, etc., can easily put low-income & poor folks on the chopping block. End the Bush tax cuts, raise taxes on those at $200,000 and more to 40%, minimum, including unearned income at that same tax rate, end all welfare to the rich and corporations, cut all the over-bloated war and defense spending, and reform the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries over-bloated costs, change over from fee-for-service to compensation based on quality of care using real, non-corporate studies to opt for best and most efficient treatments, medications, and procedures, and eliminate the income cap on contributions to social security. These measures alone will make all the earned benefit, and aid to the poor, programs solvent, and return America’s budget back to a surplus again.
Jon Kilburn says:
You are right on the money !!!
Michael L. Farrey says:
SAY HELL NO !
IT IS TIME FOR ENTITLEMENT REFORM I want millionaire & billionaire ENTITLEMENT REFORM. They think that they are entitled to everything…………….. I think they have gone too far. I think it’s time to reform them, the laws and legislators that they use to screw the working class.
Demand Congress members sign a pledge to represent the best interests of Americans overriding the Norquist tax Pledge http://wh.gov/XcwM
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