Strengthening Social Security and Medicare

Mike is fighting every day to make sure older Americans can retire with dignity and never go without health care or fall into poverty and homelessness.

Mike believes that we must preserve and strengthen Medicare and Social Security, essential programs that reflect our shared commitment to support retirees. He knows we must oppose all Republican efforts to privatize Social Security or raise the retirement age — an unfair idea that will hurt retirees who worked hard throughout their lives to earn their benefits. This is why Mike cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act and the Social Security 2100 Act to protect and strengthen benefits for Social Security recipients and future retirees.

Social Security benefits are a lifeline for millions of Americans, keeping them and their families out of poverty. In 2013, Social Security kept over 22 million Americans out of poverty, including over a million children (under age 18), over 6 million adults (between the ages of 18 and 64), and nearly 15 million people ages 65 and older. More than 10 million older Americans depend on Social Security for the majority of their income.

Mike cosponsored the Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020, which reauthorizes the Older Americans Act and invests in important programs like Meals on Wheels.

Mike introduced a bipartisan bill to improve nursing homes. The bill requires nursing homes to report their medical directors to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which must publish this information on the online Care Compare tool. Currently, some nursing homes do not provide a full public report of who their medical directors are, leaving families without critical information they need as they search for quality nursing homes.

Older Americans have paid into programs like Social Security and Medicare for decades and we cannot let them down. Mike will continue to be a vocal advocate for our seniors for as long as he serves in office.