Seniors

I am committed to protecting our seniors and preserving the programs that have kept so many healthy and out of poverty. I support preserving and strengthening Medicare, and I believe that turning Medicare into a voucher system would hurt seniors and raise barriers to care. In Congress, I will work to preserve and protect Social Security, for example by raising the cap on earnings subject to the payroll tax, and strengthen Medicare to protect patients and support the physicians who care for them.

I strongly oppose using the Chained Consumer Price Index (CPI) to calculate cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for Social Security Benefits. While the budgetary challenges we face are serious, we should not be balancing the budget on the backs of seniors.

What I am Doing for You

I’m an original cosponsor of H.R. 973, the Social Security Fairness Act. This bipartisan bill would repeal the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions.

I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 3351, the CPI-E Act of 2015, which would base cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) on the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly.

I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 4144, the Seniors And Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act, which would provide a one-time 3.9 percent COLA for 2016.

I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 775, the Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act, a bipartisan bill which would repeal the Medicare cap on therapy services for seniors.

I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 1571, the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill which would deem an individual receiving outpatient observation services in a hospital entitled to Medicare coverage of any post-hospital extended care services in a nursing facility.

I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 4442, the CONNECT for Health Act, a bipartisan bill which would expand access to telehealth and remote patient monitoring services under Medicare.

I have signed multiple letters in support of the Medicare Advantage program.

Rep. Swalwell helps make a Meals on Wheels delivery to an elderly couple in Dublin, March 2016.

In the 113th Congress:

I cosponsored H.Con.Res. 34, which expressed the sense of Congress that Chained CPI should not be used to calculate cost-of-living-adjustments for Social Security benefits.

I sent a letter asking the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to assume the Sustainable Growth Rate will be fixed when it determines physician payment rates for Medicare Advantage.

I voted against H.Con.Res. 25 and H.Con.Res. 96, the budget proposed by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. These budgets would have ended Medicare as we know it; repealed the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, including preventive services for seniors; imposed drastic spending cuts; and given massive tax reductions for corporations and upper-income persons.

I cosponsored H.R. 1029, the No Loopholes in Social Security Taxes Act. This bill would increase the amount of income subject to the Social Security tax from $113,700 to $250,000.

See also Senior Citizens’ Resources.