Seniors

America owes the Greatest Generation our eternal gratitude for the commitment it made to create a world that is far safer and more prosperous than the one it inherited.   Seniors have earned the right to be well taken care of and respected with dignity.  Their health care, retirement and financial stability must be among our highest national priorities.

Since 1965, Medicare has proven an absolutely essential safety net for seniors.  During my town meetings and conversations on health care, Colorado seniors frequently tell me about the importance of Medicare in their daily lives, and its role in guaranteeing that they have access to affordable, quality health care.

Though it is critical, the survival of Medicare is far from guaranteed.  Recent estimates predict that the Medicare Trust Fund will run out of money by 2017.  Preservation of Medicare depends on our ability to work together to implement health care reform that makes the program work more efficiently, and that stops the dramatic annual increases in health care costs throughout the health care system.

As we pursue health care reform, it is critical that Medicare be fixed so it can be sustained for the long-term.  Most importantly, Medicare must not be undermined.  I support health care reforms that will preserve the good parts of Medicare, while making the program more cost effective and better for seniors, including:

Changing the Medicare Payment Structure.  We need to reform the Medicare payment system so that it allows doctors to focus on treating the patient, instead of providing incentives for providers to perform more tests.  

Providing help to patients leaving the hospital.  We pay almost $17 billion dollars every year to cover the preventable readmission of Medicare patients to the hospital.  Many of these hospital readmissions could be avoided by providing patients help with treatment and medications as they transitioned out of the hospital.  I have introduced legislation, based on a successful health program in Grand Junction, which would provide Medicare patients “coaches” to aid with a sustained recovery strategy that avoids high hospital readmission rates.

Closing the prescription drug donut hole.  Under current law, seniors who spend more than $2,400 in drug costs are responsible for paying 100% of their drug bills until their drug costs reach $3,850.  For many seniors, this hole in coverage or “donut hole” is the breaking point in their ability to afford the medication they need for survival.  I support reforming the system so that we can close the prescription drug donut hole and provide affordable prescription drugs to seniors.

Social Security

Social Security is our most stable and most successful retirement program.  The program is not susceptible to fluctuations in the market or the economy, and it provides a stable source of income for a majority of Americans over 65 years old.  

I am working hard in Congress to preserve the long-term survival of Social Security, so that is remains solvent decades from now.  

I strongly oppose privatizing Social Security or reducing Social Security benefits.  We can work together to confront Social Security’s solvency challenge without taking these drastic, ill-conceived measures.  An important component for guaranteeing the long-term viability of Social Security is to get our nation’s fiscal house in order, without raiding Social Security to do it.