Medicare And Social Security Are Crucial To Fending Off Poverty For Future Retirees

Main Category: Medicare / Medicaid / SCHIP
Also Included In: Medical Malpractice / Litigation
Article Date: 15 Jan 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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According to a new study by Marilyn Moon, (Vice President and Director of Health Program at the American Institutes for Research), unless policy changes are made to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, millions of seniors will experience serious declines in their financial and health security.

"Low-income seniors often don't have access to private pension plans like 401Ks so they rely on Medicare and Social Security. Medicare and Social Security need to be strongly supported in order for our parents and grandparents to have financial stability."

Furthermore, according to Moon, "Even seniors who have access to retirement plans like 401Ks are at risk when the market changes suddenly - look at the recent housing credit problems."
According to Moon and other experts, a health crisis can wipe out even relatively generous savings, and health care burdens are projected to command an ever larger share of the resources for the coming wave of retirees.

To ensure the financial independence of older people, both Social Security and Medicare must be strengthened. "The need for these programs to bolster financial status and to protect against risk will only increase over time; these institutions are critical sources of financial stability," said Moon. Judith Stein, executive director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy and a leading national expert on Medicare, agrees. "Medicare eases financial and emotional stress on families and beneficiaries and makes a significant difference in people's health and quality of life. Medicare works because its core principles are founded on access, care and community. Having made healthcare available and accessible to older people and those with disabilities, Medicare provides a model for a national healthcare program."

Moon suggests that any proposed policy changes to Medicare and Social Security must take into account seniors of modest means. Rather than attempting to keep these programs strong by reducing benefits, or privatizing them, "The system needs to become more progressive over time, and it must remain public so that seniors do not have to choose between inadequate protection and a lesser quality of care."

Michael Kelly, president of the National Senior Citizens Law Center, concurs with the importance of Moon's study. "Marilyn Moon thoughtfully and carefully analyzes a profound threat to the future well-being of older Americans: as our older population expands, the proportion of impoverished or near poor elderly will increase dramatically. Hers is a groundbreaking paper and a call for action of major importance to federal and state policy makers."

According to both Marilyn Moon and Judith Stein, policymakers should expand Social Security and Medicare, as social insurance, in order to truly meet the needs of future low-income retirees. Private models will only exacerbate the problems older people face while also burdening taxpayers unnecessarily.

The Justice Partnership is an affiliation of The Center for Medicare Advocacy and the National Senior Citizens Law Center.

For two decades the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the National Senior Citizens Law Center (NSCLC) have worked together. The two organizations have shared histories, interrelated missions, and have successfully collaborated in significant litigation, projects, and grants to advance the rights of older people and people with disabilities.

The Justice Partnership grows out of a mutual concern that the safety net for older Americans, created over the last several decades, is unraveling. By collaborating more closely, both organizations will strengthen their ability to advance the legal rights of lower-income older people and people with disabilities and to ensure fair access to quality health care.

The Justice Partnership