Seniors

Members of Congress must protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare for seniors and people with disabilities. Older Americans have worked diligently to raise families, instruct our children, and protect our country. This is amongst the multitude of reasons why they deserve to retire with dignity and financial security. If you or someone you know requires assistance, please visit this page for additional information.

Social Security

Congress must fulfill its moral responsibility and ensure that the Social Security program can provide for those who need it. As a member of the Expand Social Security Caucus, I will continue to push for this important cause. The Social Security program has promoted economic security for individuals as they approach their retirement years. Millions of aging Americans are forced to choose between paying for necessities or proper long-term care, and nearly 50 percent of households cannot maintain their living standards in retirement. 

I voted for and helped pass the Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021. This critical bill would expand automatic enrollment in companies’ retirement plans, encourage more companies to offer and contribute to their workers’ plans, and allow those near retirement to save more. Congress must protect the promise made to seniors who rely on Social Security.

We must improve the methods used by the Social Security Administration to calculate the Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) to reflect rising health care costs. We must also increase monthly benefits for all Social Security beneficiaries and eliminate the current taxable cap to ensure the wealthiest Americans contribute the same percentage of their wages to Social Security as everyone else. 

Medicare

Medicare allows millions of Americans, including 1.6 million in New Jersey, to access affordable, high-quality health care services. Access to health care in America is centered around our commitment to improving and safeguarding these vital safety net programs. I remain committed to maintaining a Medicare system that provides quality and affordable healthcare to all senior citizens. I strongly oppose any effort to cut or privatize this promise and compact that we all make during our working years as we look towards our golden years. I will continue to fight for additional funding for these essential programs so that they continue to protect our most vulnerable citizens for generations to come.

I proudly support improving the strength and reliability of Medicare services and lowering the costs of prescription drugs for seniors. As a diabetic, I understand the importance of affordable insulin for my district’s more than 73,000 diabetics. I proudly voted for the Inflation Reduction Act; this law will cap the out-of-pocket costs for Part-D insulin at $35 per month. It will allow Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and cap seniors’ out-of-pocket spending for prescription drugs at $2000 per year.   In addition, 13 million Americans covered under the Affordable Care Act will see their annual health insurance premiums reduced by $800. Furthermore, I am an original cosponsor of the Medicare for All Act in the 117th Congress. This legislation will ensure that all Americans have access to high-quality health care, which includes primary care services, prescription drug coverage, emergency care, long-term care, dental services, and vision care.