Social Security & Medicare

In 1965, Congress passed and President Lyndon Johnson signed the bill that created Medicare, thereby cementing the promise to our seniors first made by Franklin D. Roosevelt when he established Social Security in 1935.  The multi-generational commitment of Social Security and Medicare is a foundation of our social contract, and a defining feature of our national prosperity.  Underlying these programs is the deeply rooted belief that all seniors, the people who supported our families and developed our communities, deserve the dignity for a secure retirement and affordable health care.

Similarly, as our nation’s health insurance program for people age 65 and older, Medicare is a component of our government’s comprehensive efforts to ensure all Americans a safe and secure retirement.  I am committed to safeguarding Medicare from efforts to transform the program into a voucher system, shifting costs to seniors and our most vulnerable citizens.  While we must address rising health care costs that threaten Medicare’s long-term sustainability, I will defend the Medicare guarantee so that no senior will ever have to choose between heating their homes and maintaining their health. 

So as it is our duty to honor the generations that came before us and worked to secure our freedom, it is also our duty to provide critical safety nets that help our older generation retire with dignity.

I am thus committed to protecting and enhancing Social Security and Medicare for this and future generations, and will work to fend off efforts to dismantle the basic structure of these programs.  While I recognize that we need to address our fiscal challenges, it is paramount that we fulfill the promise made to our seniors. 

Strengthening Social Security for All

Congressman Schneider helped introduce the Social Security Equality Act, which would end the policy of denying same-sex couples the same benefits extended to heterosexual couples. You can read more about the bill here.

Congressman Schneider cosponsored the Social Security Fairness Act to repeal the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions that unfairly burden those who devoted careers to public service.

Protecting Medicare Beneficiaries

Congressman Schneider sent a letter to Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi opposing any proposals that would weaken the Medicare Part D program and increase premiums. You can read the letter here.

Congressman Schneider cosponsored the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act, which would make it easier for Medicare patients to qualify for coverage of skilled nursing facility care. 

Congressman Schneider voted against the Ryan Budget, which would have ended the Medicare guarantee and moved the program to a voucher system that could increase out-of-pocket costs for seniors. You can read more about Congressman Schneider’s opposition to this policy here.