Among Iowa caucus goers, nine out of ten believe that presidential contenders need to have a comprehensive plan for the future of Social Security, according to an AARP survey. But when it comes to earned benefits, all of the Republican presidential candidates have nothing to offer but the same tired and failed ideas: raise the retirement age and partially voucherize Medicare.
Instead of offering a real solution to the problem at hand, every Republican is falling back on what their party has been failing with for years.
Why? Because they care more about placating big donors like the Koch brothers than protecting the Iowans and millions of American that rely on Social Security and Medicare to make ends meet.
Here’s how Republicans on stage would weaken Social Security and Medicare:
- Ted Cruz would raise Social Security and Medicare’s
eligibility ages. He’d move Medicare to a premium support system and threaten Social Security by shifting it to private accounts. As a bonus, Cruz would institute means-testing for both Security and Medicare! - Marco Rubio believes Social Security “weakened us as a people,” so it shouldn’t come as a surprise he wants to institute means-testing on Social Security and raise the retirement age. Rubio’s also looking to partially voucherize Medicare by shifting the program to a premium-support system, which would push retirees to private plans.
- Chris Christie has proposed raising the retirement age as well as some of “the most sweeping set of changes to Social Security in recent memory.” According to the LA Times, Christie proposed means testing where “benefits would be reduced for seniors with non-Social Security income of more than $80,000 and eliminated entirely for those with non-Social Security income of more than $200,000.” Christie has also said he would raise the Medicare eligibility age and premiums for Americans with incomes over $85,000.
- If you liked Mitt Romney’s 47% moment, you probably loved Jeb Bush’s “free stuff” aloofness. Bush wants to raise the retirement age — and punish seniors who retire earlier than he wants them to. In addition to supporting Medicare means-testing — which would limit eligibility for the program — Bush also wants to shift the program toward private plans, and he’s even hinted at a “phase out.”
- “Get rid of them,” that’s Ben Carson’s “entitlements” end game. For now, Carson wants to raise the retirement age. He’d also go ahead and abolish Medicare entirely.
- “You’re gonna have to get over [reduced benefits],” if I’m elected, John Kasich told a concerned voter this fall. Why? Because Kasich would reduce Social Security benefits and cut Medicare.
Published: Jan 28, 2016