Questions Any Candidate Should Have to Answer

Before heading to the ballot box on Nov. 2, find out where the candidates stand on the issues that most concern you.

Economy: Since the recession began, Americans have been hit with devastating job losses, shrinking retirement savings, declining home values and rising health care costs. Many older Americans nearing retirement or living on fixed incomes have been disproportionately impacted. What is your plan to help older workers get back to work and to improve economic security for people of all generations?

Social Security: While Social Security is currently financially strong and can pay 100 percent of benefits until 2037 and 75 percent after that, most agree that’s not good enough and that changes need to be made to ensure people can collect on the benefits they’ve earned. If elected, what changes would you propose to help ensure Social Security is there for future generations?

Deficit: Our nation’s deficit is threatening our financial security and needs to be reduced. Some have suggested that one way to reduce the deficit would be to cut Social Security benefits. Social Security is financed by workers’ contributions and didn’t cause the deficit. If elected, would you support cutting Social Security to reduce the deficit?

Medicare fraud: Millions of seniors fall victim to Medicare fraud each year – whether it’s phony billing schemes, identity theft or paying kickbacks to gain more business. It is costing taxpayers millions of dollars and driving up our national debt. If elected, what would you do to crackdown on Medicare fraud?

Access to doctors: Seniors are in increasing danger of not being able to find a doctor who will see them because of a flawed payment system that requires Medicare to drastically cut how much doctors are reimbursed every year. To date, Congress has been unable to agree on a stable payment system that will pay doctors fairly so they will continue to treat Medicare patients. If elected, what would you do to ensure doctors are adequately paid, so seniors can have the peace of mind of knowing that they’ll be able to find a doctor when they need one?