As far as the GOP candidates on stage tonight go, voters who are concerned about cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid should look elsewhere. John Kasich summed the GOP stance up best with, “You’re gonna have to get over it.”  That’s the prevailing attitude among Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, and the rest of the GOP field.

Candidates on stage are pushing plans that would enact stringent means testing, shift Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security to individual accounts, and raise the retirement age — including reducing benefits for seniors who retire earlier.

We’ve heard Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio‘s out-of-touch “free stuff” rhetoric — but the field’s policy proposals are even worse, posing serious threats to Medicaid beneficiaries as well as American seniors and future retirees.

Here’s more on the GOP field’s plans to attack earned benefits:

Rubio On Entitlements

“Free Stuff” Comments

[Video] Rubio: Democratic Debate Was “About Who Was Going To Give Away The Most “Free Stuff”: Free College Education, A Free College Education For People Illegally In The Country, Free Healthcare, Free Everything.”  In a Talking Points Memo blog, Caitlin MacNeal wrote, “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Wednesday morning lamented that the Democratic presidential debate was merely a competition over who would grant the American people more ‘free stuff.’ ‘If you watched that debate last night it looked like something from the early ‘80s,’ Rubio said on ‘Fox and Friends.’ ‘It was basically a liberal verses liberal debate about who was going to give away the most free stuff: Free college education, free college education for people illegally in this country, free health care, free everything.’” [Talking Points Memo, 10/14/15]

Social Security

Chained CPI

Rubio Stated That Cost-Of-Living Adjustments Were “On The Table” For Social Security.In ‘An American Son: A Memoir’ Rubio wrote, “Wallace had asked me whether I would change the cost of living adjustment for Social Security. I had answered him honestly, saying that ‘all these issues have to be on the table,’ including ‘the way we index increases in the cost of living.’ The Florida press said I had handed Crist his next line of attack. In retiree rich Florida, talking about any changes to Social Security was political suicide.” [An American Son: A Memoir, 6/19/12]

2012: Rubio Voted Against Indexing Social Security Benefits To Chained CPI, As Part Of Senator Mike Lee’s Budget Proposal. In May 2012, Rubio voted against a plan to index Social Security benefits to chained CPI as part of Sen. Mike Lee’s (R-UT) proposed budget resolution covering fiscal years 2013 to 2022. According to a press release from Sen. Lee, his budget contained a provision that “Indexes COLA to Chained CPI” The vote was on a motion to proceed to consider the resolution; the motion failed by a vote of 17 to 82. [Senate Vote 101,5/16/12; Congressional Record, 5/8/12]

• Future Beneficiaries Would See A Reduction Of Benefits Of 1 To 2 Percent If All Income Levels Were Subjected To Chained CPI.According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Chained CPI Proposal Would Cut Social Security Retirement Benefits by About 2 Percent, on Average […] Future beneficiaries receiving an average benefit would experience a benefit reduction averaging 1 percent to 2 percent over the course of their retirement. The benefit reduction would average 1.1 percent if they draw benefits through age 71, 1.8 percent if they draw benefits through age 81 (which is more common), and 1.6 percent if they draw benefits through age 91.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,4/23/13]

• Chained CPI Has Grown More Slowly Than Regular CPI By An Average Of 0.25 Percent Over The Past Ten Years.According to U.S. News and World Report. “The chained CPI has grown more slowly than the traditional CPI by an average of about 0.25 percentage points over the past decade.” [U.S. News and World Report, 4/29/13]

• CBPP’s Greenstein: For Elderly, Chained CPI Likely Less Accurate Measure Of Inflation Than Regular CPI.According to a commentary article by Robert Greenstein, the executive director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “The chained CPI probably does not more accurately measure inflation for the elderly; in fact, it may well be less accurate. That’s because both indexes measure changes in prices for a ‘market basket’ of goods and services that reflects average consumption by the U.S. urban population as a whole. The elderly population’s market basket isn’t the same, however, as the overall population’s — chiefly because a larger share of elderly people’s spending goes for out-of-pocket health care costs. Since health care costs tend to rise faster than other costs, the chained CPI likely understates inflation as the elderly experience it. [Robert Greenstein commentary, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Website, 4/9/13] 

RUBIO ARGUED SOCIAL SECURITY, “AS WE KNOW IT,” WOULD CEASE TO EXIST FOR HIS GENERATION 

2015: Rubio Stated That Social Security Would “Cease To Exist As We Know [It] Well Before My Generation Enters Retirement.” In ‘American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone’ Rubio wrote, “Financial analysts like to use the analogy of a three legged stool when they talk about saving for retirement. Today, each of the three legs of our traditional retirement stool—personal savings, pensions and Social Security—is wobbling. And if we do nothing, each of the three will likely cease to exist as we know them well before my generation enters retirement.” [American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone, 1/13/15]

Let Seniors Work Act

2015: Rubio Introduced The “Let Seniors Work Act,” Which Proposed To Repeal The Retirement Earnings Test And Allow Seniors Not To Pay The 12.4% Payroll Tax.According to Sunshine State News, “On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., reintroduced the ‘Let Seniors Work Act’ in the House, a bill he championed back in July. The bill, first proposed by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., will repeal the Retirement Earnings Test and will stop the 12.4 percent payroll tax for working seniors.” [Sunshine State News, 3/17/15]

• The Retirement Earnings Test Defers Benefits For Workers Who Have Not Reached Social Security Retirement Age And Whose Earnings Are Above A Certain Level.According to the Social Security Administration, “The retirement earnings test applies only to people below normal retirement age (NRA). Social Security withholds benefits if your earnings exceed a certain level, called a retirement earnings test exempt amount, and if you are under your NRA. One of two different exempt amounts apply — a lower amount in years before the year you attain NRA and a higher amount in the year you attain NRA. These exempt amounts generally increase annually with increases in the national average wage index.” [Social Security Administration, Viewed 5/31/15]

RETIREMENT EARNINGS TEST CRITICISM 

2015: Rubio Called The Retirement Earnings Test “Anti-Senior And Anti-Growth.”According to Sunshine State News, “Rubio is also still on board with the legislation, bringing it out again in the Senate. ‘Older Americans who have spent their whole lives paying into Social Security should have the choice of leaving the workforce when they reach the retirement age, or continuing to work well into their golden years without having to pay Social Security payroll taxes or get hit by the Retirement Earnings Test,’ said Rubio, who is considering running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. ‘Eliminating these two anti-senior and anti-growth measures makes a lot of sense in the 21st century when people are living longer and more productive lives than ever before.’” [Sunshine State News, 3/17/15]

RUBIO ARGUED FOR RAISING THE RETIREMENT AGE

2015 

2015: Rubio Wanted To Raise The Social Security Retirement Age For Future Retirees. In ‘American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone’ Rubio wrote, “Failing to modernize Social Security, however, will eventually lead to an outcome we can’t buy our way out of, no matter how high we might raise taxes. […] We need to increase the retirement age for future retirees.” [American Dreams: Restoring Economic Opportunity for Everyone, 1/13/15]

Medicare

RUBIO TWICE VOTED FOR $430 BILLION IN MEDICARE CUTS

2015: Rubio Voted To Make $430 Billion In Unexplained Cuts To Medicare, As Part Of The Senate’s FY 2016 Budget Resolution. In March 2015, Rubio voted for the Senate’s FY 2016 budget resolution, which, according to Bloomberg, “avoided a plan to partially privatize Medicare that the U.S. House of Representatives embraced in its budget [and] instead call[ed] for $430 billion in spending cuts without explaining where they would be made.” The Senate adopted the budget resolution by a vote of 52 to 46. [Senate Vote 135, 3/27/15; Bloomberg,3/27/15; S. Con. Res. 11, 4/7/15]

2015: Rubio Voted Against Restoring Roughly $430 Billion In Unexplained Medicare Cuts In Senate Republicans’ FY 2016 Budget. In March 2015, Rubio voted against an amendment to the Senate’s FY 2016 budget resolution that, according to Sen Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) in the Congressional Record, would have “reject[ed] the $435 billion in Medicare cuts that are in this budget resolution.” The amendment was rejected by a vote of 46 to 54. [Senate Vote 111, 3/26/15; Congressional Record, 3/26/15; Congressional Actions, S. Con. Res. 11]

RUBIO SAID MEDICARE WAS IMPORTANT TO HIS FAMILY 

Rubio: “I Want Medicare To Exist. I Want Medicare To Survive. I Want Medicare To Thrive. I Want It To Exist Without Any Changes For People Like My Parents.” While speaking at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Annual Convention in Miami, Florida, Rubio said, “I want Medicare to exist. I want Medicare to survive. I want Medicare to thrive. I want it to exist without any changes for people like my parents, like my mother, and her generation without any changes.” [Official Website of Senator Marco Rubio, 9/19/11]

January 2013: Rubio Said He Would “Never Support” Any Changes To Medicare “That Would Hurt People” Like His Parents. “Seventy percent of our debt problem is driven by the so-called entitlement programs. Things like Medicare – which by the way are very important to me. My dad got very sick at the end of my campaign. Medicare paid for his costs of his healthcare and ultimately allowed him to die with dignity. My mom is on Medicare right now. I will never support any changes to Medicare that would hurt people like them. And the good news is we don’t have to.” [Rubio Firehouse Subs Town Hall, 7:36, 011513_WU_313_A,1/15/13]

RUBIO WALKED FINE LINE BETWEEN CRITICIZING AND SUPPORTING MEDICARE

In August 2011, Rubio Said Programs Like Medicare Had “Weakened Us As A People.”

August 2011: Rubio: Programs Like Medicare, Social Security “Weakened Our People.”In a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Rubio said, “The other thing is that we built a government and its programs without any account whatsoever for how we were going to pay for it. There was not thought given into how this was going to be sustained. When Social Security first started, there was sixteen workers for every retiree. Today there are only three for every retiree and soon there will only be two for every retiree. Program after program was crafted without any thought as to how they will be funded in future years or the impact it would have on future Americans. They were done with the best of intentions, but because it weakened our people and didn’t take account the simple math of not being able to spend more money than you have, it was destined to fail and brought us to the point at which we are at today.” [Rubio speech, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, 082411_MF_24_Al, 8/24/11]

Rubio Said Medicare Must Be Reformed

Rubio Wanted To Ensure Medicare Reform Did Not Raise Taxes. According to an opinion article by Marco Rubio, published by the Sun Sentinel, “And third, it cannot harm economic growth by raising taxes that will hurt job creation and increase our debt problem.” [Sun Sentinel Op-Ed – Marco Rubio, 3/23/12]

Rubio Called For Bipartisanship To Reform And Preserve Social Security And Medicare; Said Policymakers Should Put Aside Political Posturing. According to C-SPAN Rubio said “As a member of the United States Senate [we have] the responsibility to save the time honored institutions that have long been at the service of the time honored among us. That allowed my mother and my father and so many millions like them to retire with dignity and live out the final years of their American dream with comfort and peace of mind. The responsibility to save these programs belongs to all who are elected to serve. Yet many seem to have forgotten that we are here to pass policy, not posture politically. They forget that issues such as these are the why of politics, not merely optional dirty work. Partisan politics in America has always been contentious but throughout our history on issues of generational importance, our leaders have agreed to put aside politics for the sake of our people.” [C-SPAN, 5/13/14] 

• Rubio Said The Issue Of Securing Retirement Programs For Seniors Was Worthy Of Solidarity.According to C-SPAN Rubio said “If ever there was an issue worthy of this sort of solidarity, preserving a secure retirement for 21^st century seniors is that issue. And should we fail to address it, history will point its finger at all who stood aside or stood in the way. Today I have presented an agenda for addressing this crisis head on and I am eager to work with anyone—Republican or Democrat—who will work in good faith on these reforms.” [C-SPAN, 5/13/14]

2011: Rubio Argued Future Medicare Beneficiaries Will Need To Accept Changes To The Program In Order To Preserve It For Our Parents And Grandparents.”  While speaking at the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Annual Convention in Miami, Florida, Rubio said, “But to do that it will require people like me, and people like you, that are decades away from retirement to accept the simple but powerful truth that if we want Medicare to survive without changes for our parents and to exist for us, that our Medicare will have to look different than our parents’. And the sooner we accept that, the better off our parents and grandparents will be, the better off we will be, and the better off our nation will be.” [Official Website of Senator Marco Rubio, 9/19/11]

Rubio Said Medicare Was “Bankrupting Our Country”

March 2011: Rubio Said “Social Security, Medicare And Medicaid Are Bankrupting Our Country.” According to Tallahassee Democrat, “Rubio said entitlement spending, which the legislation didn’t address, also must be reduced. […] ‘While reducing discretionary spending is an important goal, Washington is devoting a disproportionate amount of time to a tiny slice of the budget while ignoring the fact that continued inaction on saving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid is bankrupting our country.” [Tallahassee Democrat, 3/10/11]

Rubio Said Big Government And Long-Term Obligations To Entitlement Programs Such As Medicare And Social Security Were Destined For Bankruptcy. According to the Palm Beach Post, “Government is too big and destined for bankruptcy because of our long-term obligations in our entitlement programs, particularly Medicare and Social Security,’ Rubio said this week. ‘While the sequester is the topic of the day, the reality is that if we do nothing to save Medicare and Social Security for younger people like me who are decades away from retirement, the sequester will seem like child’s play in comparison to what will happen when these two vital programs go broke.’” [Palm Beach Post, 2/28/13]

Rubio Said Opposition To Reform Would “Let The Programs Go Broke.”

Rubio Stated That People Who Would Not Reform Medicare Would “Let The Programs Go Broke.” While appearing on FOX Business’ Cavuto, Rubio said, there should be “no changes for current beneficiaries or people nearing retirement. You worked hard, you paid into the system based on a certain set of promises and we need to keep that. But younger people, people like myself that are decades away from retirement, there isn’t going to be a Medicare system if we don’t make changes and reforms to it now that save the program. I want to save the program. The people that are saying ‘Do nothing’ what they’re saying is ‘Let the programs go broke.” [FOX Business’ Cavuto, 3/30/11]

Rubio Stated That Democrats Were “Not Serious About These Issues.” While appearing on Your World With Neil Cavuto, Rubio said, “we are in trouble, because the people have been running this place for the last, I don’t know, it seems like 2,000 years or whatever are not serious about these issues. It is time to deal with this once and for all. […] It’s time to deal with these issues once and for all. This is our last chance to probably deal with it before the next election.” [Your World With Neil Cavuto, 3/30/11] 

RUBIO OPPOSED CHANGES FOR CURRENT RECIPIENTS 

Rubio Believed That No Changes Should Be Made For Current Medicare And Social Security Participants. According to The Wall Street Journal, “No changes should be made to Medicare and Social Security for people who are currently in the system, like my mother,’ he wrote. ‘But people decades away from retirement, like me, must accept that reforms are necessary if we want Social Security and Medicare to exist at all by the time we are eligible for them.” [The Wall Street Journal, 3/30/11]

Rubio Suggested “Raising The Retirement Age For Younger Generations.” According to Sun-Sentinel, “Florida Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican, said Congress must move beyond cutting discretionary spending, which makes up less than one fifth of total federal spending. He launched a publicity campaign on Wednesday calling for reform of entitlement programs to keep them solvent and ease the debt. Rubio, 39, suggested gradually raising the retirement age for younger generations to receive full benefits. He opposes lifting the cap or other tax increases because he believes that would stifle economic growth.” [Sun-Sentinel, 3/31/11]

Jeb Bush On Entitlements

Social Security

Jeb Bush: “If We Do Not Have An Honest Conversation About What It Will Take To Protect Medicare And Social Security, We Fail Seniors And We Will Fail The Next Generation Of Americans.” According to a release from the Jeb 2016 campaign, “As a great, prosperous and compassionate nation, we must ensure access to health care and retirement income security for our seniors. But we must also face the fact that changes are needed to preserve and protect these programs for future generations. In 1965, health care programs and Social Security spending were less than a sixth of Washington’s budget, but today they consume almost half of all federal spending and crowd out other national priorities. Without action, the problem will only get worse: Spending will more than double – as a share of our economy – by 2040. Unless we make changes to Medicare and Social Security, their trust funds will be exhausted and benefits will be cut. In Medicare, hospital benefits will be cut by nearly 15 percent in 2030. In Social Security, benefits will be cut by more than 20 percent in 2034. If we do not have an honest conversation about what it will take to protect Medicare and Social Security, we fail seniors and we will fail the next generation of Americans.” [Release – Jeb 2016, 10/27/15]

Jeb Bush: “I Have A Proven Record Of Leadership On Fixing Entitlement Programs Like Medicaid. We Stabilized Medicaid Spending, Modernized A 1960s-Era Program And Gave Patients Real Control Over Their Health Care.” According to a release from the Jeb 2016 campaign, “I have a proven record of leadership on fixing entitlement programs like Medicaid. We stabilized Medicaid spending, modernized a 1960s-era program and gave patients real control over their health care. The Weekly Standard said, ‘On health care, no governor has attacked Medicaid, whose costs are swamping state budgets, more boldly…’ and The Club for Growth called me a ‘champion of reforming entitlement programs.’ I don’t just talk about problems – I know how to solve them.” [Release – Jeb 2016, 10/27/15]

Jeb Bush: “Workers Contribute To The Programs During Their Working Years And See A Return On Those Contributions During Their Retirement Years.” According to a backgrounder from the Jeb 2016 campaign, “As a great, prosperous and compassionate nation, we must ensure access to health care and retirement income security for our seniors. Seniors rely on Medicare to provide access to critical health care and for financialsecurity following their working years. Since 1935, Social Security has played an important role in ensuring workers have a base of retirement income, reducing poverty among seniors in retirement and protecting Americans against the risks of disability and premature death. Workers contribute to the programs during their working years and see a return on those contributions during their retirement years.” [Backgrounder – Jeb 2016, 10/27/15]

Jeb Bush: “Improving Security For Current Seniors And Prosperity For The Next Generation Will Require Experienced Leadership.”According to a backgrounder from the Jeb 2016 campaign, “Unfortunately, too many Washington politicians have been unwilling to engage in an honest conversation with voters about maintaining a social contract with seniors and the next generation. In 1965, health care programs and Social Securityspending were less than a sixth of Washington’s budget, but today they consume almost half of all federal spending and crowd out other national priorities. Without action, the problem will only get worse: spending will more than double as a share of our economy by 2040, growing from $1.8 trillion to $4.5 trillion. Unless we make changes to preserve and protect Medicare and Social Security, the trust funds will be exhausted and benefits will be cut. In Medicare, hospital benefits will be cut by nearly 15 percent in 2030. In Social Security, benefits will be cut by more than 20 percent in 2034. Improving security for current seniors and prosperity for the next generation will require experienced leadership.” [Backgrounder – Jeb 2016, 10/27/15]

“Increase The Social Security Retirement Age”

Jeb Bush Proposed Increasing “The Social Security Retirement Age” Very Gradually “By A Month Every Year Starting In 2022.” According to a release from the Jeb 2016 campaign, “Increase the Social Security retirement age: Workers are now eligible for full Social Security benefits at age 66 (gradually increasing under current law to 67). Workers can choose to retire as early as age 62, if they agree to a lower Social Security check each month. This proposal, similar to one in the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Simpson-Bowles), will very gradually change these eligibility ages by a month every year starting in 2022.” [Release – Jeb 2016, 10/27/15]

Jeb Bush Proposed Increasing The Social Security Retirement Age By One Month In Every Year Starting In 2022. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Bush would also increase the Social Security retirement age, which is set to reach 67 years in 2027, by one month in every year starting in 2022.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/27/15]

Jeb Bush Favored Raising The Retirement Age For Social Security Beyond 67. According to CNN, “‘If we do not have an honest conversation about what it will take to protect Medicare and Social Security, we fail seniors and we will fail the next generation of Americans,’ Bush says in a Medium post set to publish on Tuesday. The Republican presidential candidate, according to information provided by his campaign, favors raising the retirement age for Social Security beyond its current target age of 67, starting in 2022 by gradually increasing the age by one month every year. That means by 2058, when life expectancy is expected to be longer, workers would have to be 70 to claim full benefits — or 65 for early benefits.” [CNN,10/27/15]

Jeb Bush: “Americans Will Still Be Able To Withdraw Benefits As Early As They Could In President Roosevelt’s Time. Additionally, Disability Benefits Will Continue To Be Available For Individuals With Health Conditions That Prevent Them From Working.” According to a backgrounder from the Jeb 2016 campaign, “By continuing to allow early retirement as early as age 65, Americans will still be able to withdraw benefits as early as they could in President Roosevelt’s time. Additionally, disability benefits will continue to be available for individuals with health conditions that prevent them from working.” [Backgrounder – Jeb 2016, 10/27/15]

Cruz On Entitlements

Medicare

Retirement Age

Cruz Said That “We Must Save Medicare By Gradually Increasing The Eligibility Age And By Moving To A Premium Support System That Expands Choices For Seniors.”According to the AARP Senate Voter Guide, “Q: How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect today’s seniors and future retirees from the burden of rising health costs? A: We must save Medicare by gradually increasing the eligibility age and by moving to a premium support system that expands choices for seniors, opens up innovation, and utilizes market forces to rein in healthcare costs.” [AARP Senate Voter Guide, 8/24/12]

Vouchers

Cruz Said That “We Must Save Medicare By Gradually Increasing The Eligibility Age And By Moving To A Premium Support System That Expands Choices For Seniors.”According to the AARP Senate Voter Guide, “Q: How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect today’s seniors and future retirees from the burden of rising health costs? A: We must save Medicare by gradually increasing the eligibility age and by moving to a premium support system that expands choices for seniors, opens up innovation, and utilizes market forces to rein in healthcare costs.” [AARP Senate Voter Guide, 8/24/12]

Doc Fix

Cruz Said That Any Senate Bill That Ended The “Doc Fix” For The Annual Medicare Bill Should Be “Fully Paid For And Include Significant And Structural Reforms To Medicare That Provide Seniors More Power And Control Over Their Health Care.” According to Washington Post, “Complicating passage is the opposition of several staunch Senate conservatives, including presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R Tex.), who said in a statementTuesday that any deal ending the ‘doc fix’ should be ‘fully paid for and include significant and structural reforms to Medicare that provide seniors more power and control over their health care.’” [Washington Post, 4/14/15]

Social Security

Privatization

Cruz Supported Creation Of Personal Accounts For Social Security. According to a Video From the Texas Tribune Cruz said, “But the third change, that I think is absolutely critical, is to allow taxpayers to have a portion of their social security funds go to a personal account that they own and control.” [Texas Tribune, 9/11/2011]

Retirement Age

Cruz Said He Did Not Agree With The Libertarian Party’s 2012 Call To Phase Out Social Security But That The Retirement Age Should Gradually Be Raised For Younger People And Change The Rate Of The Growth Of Social Security Benefits To Match Inflation. While appearing on CNBC, Ted Cruz said, “Cruz: Oh, I understand why they call for that. But I don’t agree with them. What I would like to see is several things. Number one, for those on Social Security or near retirement, no changes whatsoever. Honor the commitments. But for younger people, people in my generation, we should gradually increase the retirement age. Secondly we need to change the rate of growth of Social Security benefits so they match inflation rather than exceed inflation. Those two reforms on their own take Social Security from bankruptcy into solvency. But the third piece, and it’s what Bush fought for, is personal accounts. I think it is transformative to allow younger workers to put a portion of their taxes into a personal account that they own, that they control, and that they can pass onto their heirs.” [CNBC, 4/9/15]

Cruz Supported Raising Social Security Retirement Age. According to a Video From the Texas Tribune Cruz said, “For younger workers we need to do three fundamental reforms. Number One, increase the retirement age.” [Texas Tribune, 9/11/2011]

CARLY FIORINA ON ENTITLEMENTS

Social Security

Fiorina Would Not Take Position On Social Security And Medicare During Presidential Campaign. According to The Washington Post, “Fiorina is not taking a position on Social Security and Medicare during the campaign. Voters will hear more about what she thinks about entitlements if she wins. ‘There are loads of great ideas on how to make Social Security more financially solvent. I do not think there is a prayer of implementing a single one until you get a leader in the Oval Office who’s prepared to challenge the status quo,’ she told CNBC’s John Harwood. ‘And I am not prepared to go to the American people and talk to them about how we’re going to reform Social Security and Medicare until I can demonstrate to them that the government can execute.’” [Washington Post, 9/17/15]

Fiorina Would Not Directly Answer Question On Social Security Privatization.  According to CNBC, “[John] HARWOOD: […] Do you think privatization is a useful structural reform to make? FIORINA: I think there are loads of great ideas on how to make Social Security more financially solvent. I do not think there is a prayer of implementing a single one until you get a leader in the Oval Office who’s prepared to challenge the status quo. And I am not prepared to go to the American people and talk to them about how we’re going to reform Social Security and Medicare until I can demonstrate to them that the government can execute with excellence, perform its responsibilities with excellence, serve the people who pay for it with excellence. HARWOOD: Now, that is a dodge worthy of a very good politician.” [CNBC,9/16/15]

Social Security 

USA Today: Kasich Believed Social Security Needed “Major Surgery.” According to USA Today, “He [John Kasich] said Social Security needs ‘major surgery’ but did not endorse any specific entitlement cuts or changes.” [USA Today, 4/23/15] 

Kasich: “If Somebody Asks Me A Question On Social Security, I’m Going To Try To Answer It As Best I Can.” According to the Washington Post, “As for his sometimes blunt style: ‘If somebody asks me a question on Social Security, I’m going to try to answer it as best I can. Because I’ve got one life to live here on this earth and I’m just going to try to answer the questions, be direct, be a leader,’ he said. ‘That doesn’t mean to be rude or to be in a position to just where you’re just blunt. I’m not interested in that. But I am interested in trying to solve problems.’” [Washington Post, 3/24/15] 

AP On Kasich’s 2016 Budget Plan: “For Now, Kasich Is Ignoring” Obamacare, Social Security. According to the Associated Press, “For now, Kasich is ignoring two major programs, with specific ideas to come later on President Obama’s health care law and Social Security.” [Associated Press, 10/15/15] 

Kasich: “There Are More 18-Year-Olds That Believe They Will See A UFO Than A Social Security Check.” During an interview with WMUR political director Josh McElveen, John Kasich said, “Well, there are more 18-year-olds that believe they will see a UFO than a social security check, and that is not good. That creates a disdain for our leaders in our government.” [KETV, 5/8/15] 

“Get Over It” Comments

2015: Kasich Told NH Town Hall Attendee “You’re Going To Have Get Over” Reduced Social Security Payment. According to UPI, “During a ‘Fiscal Fridays’ event in New Hampshire, Ohio Gov. John Kasich told an audience member to ‘get over’ his proposed reforms to Social Security. During the event, the Republican presidential candidate said a balanced budget cannot be had without reform to entitlements like Social Security. He later said he was part of a 1990s effort to reform Medicare and Medicaid and that he sought to minimize benefits for individuals not yet near the eligible age. Kasich asked audience members not yet near the eligible age for Social Security payments to raise their hand. He then asked if they knew what their initial payment would be and asked if they would mind a slightly lower payment for the benefit of the whole country. When one individual said they would mind, Kasich jokingly said ‘you’re going to have get over it.’ The remark drew laughs from the audience and moderator.” [UPI, 10/10/15] 

Huckabee On Social Security, 2015: “To Tell People To Get Over It? Congress Is About To Get A Pay Raise In January. Social Security And Medicare Recipients Are About To Get A Gut Punch.” According to WMUR, “Ohio Gov. John Kasich said last week that a New Hampshire resident would ‘get over’ cuts to Social Security, as he has proposed. Huckabee did not directly comment on Kasich’s remark, but said, ‘This is an absolute absurdity. If Republicans want to make sure they lose absolutely every election, let’s go out there and tell people that we’re going to steal from them and lie to them and take Social Security benefits and cut them.’ ‘We need to protect not just the benefits, but also the integrity of our own government which made promises to people.’ ‘To tell people to get over it? Congress is about to get a pay raise in January. Social Security and Medicare recipients are about to get a gut punch. There’s no cost-of-living for them. The attitude of Washington has been, more soup for us, no soup for you.’” [WMUR, 10/16/15] 

Kasich, 2015: “Everybody Wants An Authentic Candidate Until They Have One.” According to the Columbus Dispatch, “And he tosses out offhand remarks that opponents attempt to use against him, whether it’s telling a Virginia college student he didn’t have any Taylor Swift tickets for her or joking with an older questioner last week in New Hampshire that she’d ‘get over it’ when he proposed Social Security cuts. Both remarks drew significant national attention. ‘Everybody wants an authentic candidate until they have one,’ he told The Dispatch and other Ohio reporters in a 25-minute interview in the back of his bus.” [Columbus Dispatch, 10/13/15]

Kasich Proposed Taxing Social Security 

2015: Ohio Legislature’s Budget Plan Dropped Kasich’s Proposal To Tax Social Security Benefits For People With Income Greater Than $100,000. According to the Northeast Ohio Media Group, “Ohio lawmakers’ final compromise budget plan includes a small-business income-tax cut and a increase on cigarettes, a legislative conference committee revealed lateWednesday night. […]Scrap a House-backed proposal from Gov. John Kasich to tax Social Security benefits for people with total income of more than $100,000. Social Security taxed at the federal level currently is not taxed in Ohio.” [Northeast Ohio Media Group, 6/24/15] 

Medicare 

Kasich, 2015: “You Ever Heard Of Anything So Crazy As That, Telling Our, Our People In This Country Who Are Seniors Or About To Be Seniors That We’re Gonna Abolish Medicaid And Medicare?” According to the Times, “Kasich, who is viewed as a moderate in the crowded GOP presidential field, noted that retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson wants to end Medicaid and Medicare. ‘You ever heard of anything so crazy as that, telling our, our people in this country who are seniors or about to be seniors that we’re gonna abolish Medicaid and Medicare?’ Kasich said of Carson, who is leading in several recent polls in Iowa, the first nominating state of the 2016 election.” [Los Angeles Times, 10/27/15] 

2015: Kasich “Said He Was Part Of A 1990s Effort To Reform Medicare And Medicaid And That He Sought To Minimize Benefits For Individuals Not Yet Near The Eligible Age.” According to UPI, “During a ‘Fiscal Fridays’ event in New Hampshire, Ohio Gov. John Kasich told an audience member to ‘get over’ his proposed reforms to Social Security. During the event, the Republican presidential candidate said a balanced budget cannot be had without reform to entitlements like Social Security. He later said he was part of a 1990s effort to reform Medicare and Medicaid and that he sought to minimize benefits for individuals not yet near the eligible age. Kasich asked audience members not yet near the eligible age for Social Security payments to raise their hand. He then asked if they knew what their initial payment would be and asked if they would mind a slightly lower payment for the benefit of the whole country. When one individual said they would mind, Kasich jokingly said ‘you’re going to have get over it.’ The remark drew laughs from the audience and moderator.” [UPI, 10/10/15] 

Medicaid 

Ohio Expansion 

Kasich On Medicaid, 2015: “We’ve Been Able To Manage This Program.” While appearing on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, John Kasich said, “Well, look, I like the fact that we’ve eliminated pre-existing conditions. I think that’s really important. But Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid a number of times and he didn’t need Obamacare, OK? And my feeling about Medicaid is we’ve been able to manage this program. And by bringing Ohio money back to Ohio to treat the mentally ill, the drug addicted and the working poor, it’s not – we’re not only ahead on an arithmetic basis, but we think it’s the right issue in terms of giving people a chance and an ability to be lifted.” [NPR – Weekend Edition, 7/25/15] 

Kasich On Medicaid, 2015: Expansion Is “Bringing Ohio Money Back To Ohio To Treat The Mentally Ill, The Drug Addicted And The Working Poor.” While appearing on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, John Kasich said, “Well, look, I like the fact that we’ve eliminated pre-existing conditions. I think that’s really important. But Ronald Reagan expanded Medicaid a number of times and he didn’t need Obamacare, OK? And my feeling about Medicaid is we’ve been able to manage this program. And by bringing Ohio money back to Ohio to treat the mentally ill, the drug addicted and the working poor, it’s not – we’re not only ahead on an arithmetic basis, but we think it’s the right issue in terms of giving people a chance and an ability to be lifted.” [NPR – Weekend Edition, 7/25/15] 

Ohio’s Medicaid Expansion Gave Many Of The 600,000 Enrollees Mental Illness Coverage. According to the Northeast Ohio Media Group, “Since the state expanded Medicaid in 2014, the number of people covered by the federal health insurance program for low-income households and for children has climbed by more than 600,000, federal data shows. Many of those are people who now have coverage for treatment of mental illness. ‘Many were people with mental illness who were working with low paying jobs,’ said Terry Russell, executive director of NAMI Ohio, the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ affiliate in the Buckeye State.” [Northeast Ohio Media Group, 10/1/15] 

Kasich Defended His Use Of The Controlling Board To Expand Medicaid As “It’s All Within The Rules.”  According to The Herald-Star, “Gov. John Kasich defended his decision to turn to a legislative board to push through an expansion of Medicaid as the Ohio Supreme Court agreed Thursday to speed up its consideration of a lawsuit over the move.  […] ‘It’s all within the rules,’ he told reporters after a transportation event on Thursday. ‘We’re fine.’”  [The Herald-Star, 11/1/13]

• Kasich: “And We’re Moving On.  And We’re Trying To Help A Lot Of People.”According to The Herald-Star, “Medicaid expansion allows those making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $15,860 for an individual, to be eligible for the program.   “‘It’s already done,’ Kasich said of expansion. ‘And we’re moving on. And we’re trying to help a lot of people.’”  [The Herald-Star, 11/1/13] 

Cost

Heartland Institute, 2015: Ohio “Medicaid Spending Increased By 7.4 Percent Per Year” Since 2012. According to the Heartland Institute, “Ohio Gov. John Kasich is campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination as a budget-balancing welfare reformer, but since he took office, his state’s annual Medicaid spending has increased by nearly $6 billion, an increase of 30 percent from 2011-15, according to the Ohio Department of Medicaid. Averaged across Kasich’s first two budgets covering fiscal years 2012-13 and 2014-15, Medicaid spending increased by 7.4 percent per year. According to Kasich’s administration, Ohio’s Medicaid spending increased by 4.1 percent in fiscal year 2012; 2.5 percent in 2013; 10.6 percent in 2014; and 12.5 percent in 2015.” [Heartland Institute, 9/25/15]

Heartland Institute On Kasich’s 2015 Budget: “Kasich’s Medicaid Expansion Program Is Costing State Taxpayers $1.4 Billion Per Year” More Than Budget Projections. According to the Heartland Institute, “Kasich’s Medicaid expansion program is costing state taxpayers $1.4 billion per year—about $258.14 per taxpayer—more than budget projections predicted, causing the program to exceed its budget by about 63 percent.” [Heartland Institute, 7/27/15]

FactCheck.Org, 2015: Kasich Claimed Ohio Medicaid Growth “One Of The Lowest Rates In The Country,” But Its “Growth Is Slightly Above The 22 Percent Average For All States.” According to FactCheck.Org, “Ohio Gov. John Kasich defended his decision to expand Medicaid in his state under the ACA, saying that ‘our Medicaid is growing at one of the lowest rates in the country.’ But Ohio’s Medicaid rolls are 24 percent higher, compared with pre-ACA monthly enrollment. That puts the state at 16th in terms of growth among the 30 states and the District of Columbia that have expanded Medicaid. According to the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, Ohio’s average monthly pre-ACA Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment was 2,341,481, using July-September 2013 numbers. The post-ACA monthly figure, as of May 2015, was 2,902,768, an increase of 24 percent. It’s true that some states saw much higher growth: Kentucky’s enrollment shot up 86 percent; Oregon’s is up 75 percent. Several other states are at 50 percent growth and above, including Arkansas, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Washington and West Virginia. But Ohio is in the middle of the pack, not ‘one of the lowest rates in the country.’ The state’s growth is slightly above the 22 percent average for all states, including nonexpansion states.” [FactCheck.org, 8/6/15] 

Kasich, 2015: Medicaid “Was Growing At 9%, It’s Now Growing At Less Than 4% Without Anybody Coming Off The Rolls Or Cutting Any Benefits.” While appearing on Meet The Press with Chuck Todd, John Kasich said, “In Medicaid, where our program was growing at 9%, it’s now growing at less than 4% without anybody coming off the rolls or cutting any benefits. Now, you know what though, at the end of the day, I’m happy with what we’ve been doing. And, you know, I’m happy with me.” [Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/26/15] 

Biblical Defense of Ohio Expansion 

Kasich On Medicaid Expansion Opponents, 2015: “You Know What I Tell ‘Em? … I Say, There’s A Book. It’s Got A New Part And An Old Part; They Put It Together, It’s A Remarkable Book. If You Don’t Have One, I’ll Buy You One. It Talks About How We Treat The Poor.” According to Breitbart, “During a Tuesday appearance before the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Ohio governor and Republican presidential candidate John Kasich offered to buy Bibles for those of us who don’t agree with his decision to increase the welfare state. Quite famously, Governor Kasich agreed to ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion in Ohio. This is his latest defense: Look at Medicaid expansion. Do you know how many people are yelling at me? I go out to events where people yell at me. You know what I tell ‘em? … I say, there’s a book. It’s got a new part and an old part; they put it together, it’s a remarkable book. If you don’t have one, I’ll buy you one. It talks about how we treat the poor. Sometimes you just have to lead.” [Breitbart, 10/6/15] 

2015: Kasich Offered To Buy Bible For Opponents Of Medicaid Expansion. According to Breitbart, “Kasich said, ‘Part of the difficulty we have in this town is we don’t have leaders in this town that are willing to lead instead of reacting to who yells the loudest … Look at Medicaid expansion—I mean you know how many people are yelling at me? I’ve gone to events where people yell at me. You know what—you know what I tell them? I mean God bless them … You know there is a book that has a new part and an old part put together. It’s a remarkable book. If you don’t have one, I’ll buy you one. It talks about how we treat the poor.’ He continued, ‘I mean, sometimes you just have to lead. It’s like fighting ISIS. Are the American people ready to put boots on the ground in the Middle East? If we don’t stop ISIS, this becomes at some point a direct threat to the Untied States. It doesn’t mean you don’t listen, but you cannot let the yelling and screaming determine your decision making.’” [Breitbart, 10/6/15] 

Kasich On Gun Massacres, 2015: “The Deeper Issue Is Alienation. The Deeper Issue Is Loneliness […] This Is Part Of The Reason I Expanded Medicaid.” According to ThinkProgress, “Ohio Gov. John Kasich became the latest Republican presidential candidate to offer controversial comments on the recent spate of mass gun violence. ‘I don’t think gun control would solve this problem,’ he told the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. ‘The deeper issue is alienation. The deeper issue is loneliness. The deeper issue is we’re paying no attention to an individual who is really struggling.’ Asked what role, if any, government should have in preventing such mass shootings — nearly 300 of which have taken nearly 400 lives this year alone — Kasich responded that the only government responses should be improved mental health care. ‘This is part of the reason I expanded Medicaid,’ he said. ‘So people can get help at the community level.’” [ThinkProgress, 10/6/15] 

2016 Presidential Budget Proposal 

AP: Kasich’s 2016 Budget Plan Includes “Reductions To Medicare And Medicaid.”According to the Associated Press, “Kasich advocated tax cuts that would increase the budget deficit over the early years of his presidency, according to projections his campaign shared with The Associated Press. Here’s what his advisers predict: enough economic growth from those cuts, and backed by reductions to Medicare and Medicaid and an eight-year freeze on increases in nondefense discretionary spending, to eventually offset lost tax revenue. All that would help balance the budget for the first time since Bill Clinton was president. Kasich’s tax plan would: lower the top individual tax rate from 39.6 percent to 28 percent.” [Associated Press, 10/15/15] 

Kasich, 2015: “Nowhere Has Washington’s One-Size-Fits-All Approach Done More Harm To Innovation And Those It Should Be Serving Than With Medicaid.” In a Washington Post op-ed John Kasich wrote, “And nowhere has Washington’s one-size-fits-all approach done more harm to innovation and those it should be serving than with Medicaid. In Ohio we reined in Medicaid costs and are improving health outcomes by using private-sector health insurance and coordinated chronic- disease care and by paying for health-care value instead of just volume. If Washington eased its grip, there would be even more innovation to improve quality and constrain Medicaid’s unsustainable costs.” [Washington Post, 10/14/15] 

October 2015: Kasich Trumpeted Cato Institute’s Praise Of His Federal Budget Proposal Months After Criticizing It For Critiquing His Ohio Budgets. According to Dayton Daily News, “Republican presidential contender John Kasich, who as recently as August engaged in a public feud with the Cato Institute of Washington, seems to have had a change of mind about the libertarian-leaning Washington organization. The Kasich campaign trumpeted Cato’s praise this week of the Ohio governor’s proposed plan to balance the federal budget within eight years, a key feature which would shift federal highway and Medicaid dollars to the states. That praise by the Kasich campaign was in sharp contrast to its biting criticism of Cato this summer when the organization claimed during Kasich’s year as governor, general revenue fund spending in Ohio had grown from $52.5 billion for the 2011-2012 spending years to $71.2 billion for the 2016-2017 budget cycle.” [Dayton Daily News, 10/19/15] 

2015: Kasich’s Federal Budget Plan Endorsed By Former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker For Block Granting Responsibilities Like Medicaid. According to the Columbus Dispatch, “Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s plan to balance the federal budget within eight years won a qualified endorsement today from a nationally prominent deficit combatant. ‘Gov. Kasich should be commended for offering a budget framework that is designed to restore fiscal responsibility and reduce debt/GDP over time,’ said former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker in an email to The Dispatch after being asked for his opinion. ‘His framework includes both tax and spending reforms. It proposes to transfer important responsibilities to the states in areas that are very fiscally challenging (e.g. Medicaid, transportation),’ added Walker, also former head of the Government Accountability Office.” [Columbus Dispatch, 10/17/15] 

Columbus Dispatch On Kasich’s 2015 Budget Proposal: He “Favors The Old Republican Brew.” According to the Columbus Dispatch, “He blends his tax-reduction plan with a dose of federalism in which Washington will provide states with the money and authority to design their own education, transportation and Medicaid systems. And he favors the old Republican brew of curbing federal environmental and financial regulations, boosting defense spending, and freezing spending on domestic programs such as the environment, criminal justice, housing and education.” [Columbus Dispatch, 10/25/15] 

Entitlements, Broadly 

Heartland Institute On Kasich’s 2015 Budget: Government Spending Would Increase “From Kasich’s Continued Support For Increasing Entitlement Spending.” According to the Heartland Institute, “The new budget for the State of Ohio for fiscal years 2016 and 2017 was signed into law by Gov. John Kasich (R), reducing the income tax rates on individuals by 6.3 percent across all income tax brackets and shifting the tax burden by raising consumption taxes, sin taxes, and business taxes for some small business owners. Government spending will increase by 11 percent, compared to the previous biennial budget, most of which comes from Kasich’s continued support for increasing entitlement spending, such as Medicaid.” [Heartland Institute, 7/27/15]

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Published: Oct 28, 2015