Where Do The Candidates Stand On Social Security & Medicare?
By Jessie Gibbons, Senior Policy Analyst
Where exactly do the candidates stand on Social Security and Medicare — the two issues that matter most to older Americans? It’s more important than ever to know, since many believe the winner of this year’s presidential election will be responsible for signing into law legislation that will reform the two retirement programs.
Details about the candidates' plans for Social Security and Medicare have been hard to come by, and for at least one question, candidates have not revealed their plans at all. Decisions the next president-elect makes could strengthen or weaken the Social Security and Medicare benefits of future generations. Those decisions could even impact current retirees.
The Senior Citizens League (TSCL) has studied recent speeches, debate remarks, vote history, and websites of the three leading candidates as of May 5, 2016 – Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump – to pinpoint their proposals for reforming the Social Security and Medicare programs. The chart below summarizes their positions. Where you see a question mark, the candidate has not made his or her position public. It also includes the positions that TSCL advocates for on Capitol Hill, based on the results of recent polls and surveys of members and supporters.
|
Issue |
Hillary |
Bernie |
Donald |
The Senior Citizens League |
| Social Security | ||||
| Require high-income workers to pay taxes on larger portion of income |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Raise age of eligibility | No | No | No | No |
| Reduce growth of COLA by adopting “chained” CPI |
No |
No |
?
|
No |
| Make COLA more accurate by using inflation index for seniors |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
| Require private accounts for Social Security |
No |
No |
No |
No |
| Medicare | ||||
| Raise age of eligibility | No | No | ? | No |
| Increase premiums for higher income individuals |
? |
? |
? |
No |
| Reduce prescription drug costs for Part D beneficiaries |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Replace with system of private plans | No | No | ? | No |
Positions outlined above as of May 5, 2016. A question mark indicates a candidate has not made his or her position public. *Donald Trump’s stated positions appear to be changing as this publication was released.
TSCL hopes the chart above will help members and supporters understand the positions the candidates have taken on Social Security and Medicare reform in recent months. We encourage all readers to research the candidates to ensure their positions align, to double-check that their voter registration is up-to-date, and to vote in the upcoming election.
