TSCL supporters have clear preferences when it comes to options to deal with Social Security and Medicare's growing deficits. The Senior Citizens League's 2014 Survey drew more than 2,500 responses that highlight opinions on many of the leading proposals to fix the financing problems of Social Security and Medicare.
In recent years both programs have become the focus of intense budget battles over cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) cuts, and proposals that would shift more Medicare costs to beneficiaries. With the Social Security disability program facing exhaustion in just two or three years, TSCL believes benefit cuts will come under Congressional debate again soon.
How would you fix Social Security & Medicare?
Here's what's OUT: 1) COLA cuts 2) higher Medicare deductibles.
Here's what's IN: 1) Lifting the Social Security "tax max." 2) Cutting Medicare fraud and waste.
Sixty-five percent of seniors strongly favor increasing the limit on taxable earnings, which currently allows high earners to escape paying Social Security taxes on earnings higher than $117,000. In addition, 78 percent strongly favor banning the payment of Social Security benefits based on jobs illegally worked by undocumented immigrants under invalid and fraudulent Social Security numbers.
Ninety-three percent of those responding strongly favor tougher anti-fraud efforts to protect Medicare and 82 percent said that there should be better integration of care to reduce duplication of tests, services, and expensive imaging.
TSCL 2014 Senior Survey
| Proposals for Social Security | Strongly favor* | Somewhat favor* | Somewhat oppose* | Strongly oppose* |
| Require workers with incomes higher than $117,000 to pay Social Security taxes on all of their wages. | 65% | 20% | 9% | 7% |
| Raise the age for full retirement benefits to 69. | 15% | 46% | 19% | 20% |
| Prohibit payment of Social Security benefits calculated on earnings from unauthorized work by illegal immigrants. | 78% | 6% | 8% | 8% |
| Reduce the COLA by switching to a more slowly-growing index. | 5% | 9% | 12% | 73% |
| Change the benefit formula so that it reduces the benefits of workers with high incomes. | 21% | 26% | 40% | 13% |
| Proposals for Medicare | Strongly favor* | Somewhat favor* | Somewhat oppose* | Strongly oppose* |
| Raise the Medicare eligibility age to 67. | 15% | 46% | 14% | 25% |
| Increase Medicare premiums for wealthier beneficiaries. | 28% | 48% | 13% | 11% |
| Require beneficiaries to pay a new $550 deductible and restrict health plans from covering the cost. | 2% | 5% | 12% | 81% |
| Require a new 20% co-insurance or co-pay for all services, including for home healthcare and skilled nursing facilities that have none now. | 1% | 6% | 13% | 79% |
| Ramp up anti-fraud efforts. | 93% | 5% | 1% | 1% |
| Promote better integration of care to reduce duplication of tests, services, and expensive imaging. | 82% | 15% | 2% | 1% |
| Replace Medicare with a system of private health plans. Medicare beneficiaries would receive premium subsidies or vouchers to shop for health plans on a Medicare exchange. | 5% | 10% | 11% | 74% |
(Results may not equal 100% due to rounding)
TSCL appreciates the tremendous response from survey participants and recently released findings to the press and Members of Congress.
