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Keep Medicare and Social Security Strong


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AARP is fighting to keep these bedrock programs strong.
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For more than 50 years, AARP has been fighting to keep Medicare and Social Security strong. Now we’re working to protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security so current and future generations get the benefits they’ve earned. Once the new president and Congress are sworn in, we will judge any future legislation by our principles.

We will continue to fight attempts to cut Medicare and beat back any attempts to privatize Social Security for current and future generations. The government made a promise to the American people about these programs, and it needs to be honored.

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Strengthening Medicare

Americans pay into Medicare so there is guaranteed health coverage as they age. AARP has a long history of fighting for affordable care and against attempts to cut Medicare benefits or ask seniors to pay more for their health care. AARP will continue this fight to ensure Medicare is a guaranteed benefit that provides affordable and quality health care to current seniors and future generations. 

Throughout the debate about the future of Medicare, be assured AARP will fight to ensure that any legislation is based on these critical principles:

  • Medicare should continue to guarantee a specific set of benefits, defined in law, that are affordable and meet a person’s health care needs regardless of income and health status.
  • Medicare should be strengthened and improved so that current and future beneficiaries have access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage.
  • Medicare should ensure access to high-quality, effective health care and should maintain reasonable choice for beneficiaries.
  • Medicare should improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of care by emphasizing value and cracking down on fraud, waste and abuse.

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Keeping Social Security Strong

Social Security is a contract with American workers that must be kept. AARP will continue to fight to ensure that current and future generations get the benefits they’ve earned. AARP has always opposed — and always will oppose — turning Social Security into risky private accounts.

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Once there is a legislative debate about the future of Social Security, we will fight to keep Social Security strong based on these principles:

  • Achieve long-term solvency and adequacy. Social Security should be sufficiently financed to ensure solvency for the long-term. Solvency proposals must ensure meaningful benefits for future generations.
  • Reaffirm Social Security’s fundamental character. Social Security should continue to provide a stable foundation for retirement income. It should remain a partnership among individuals, employers and the federal government. It should also maintain its role in providing protection for workers and families affected by death or disability. All covered workers should contribute equitably to the program and receive benefits.
  • Ensure protections for those most in need. Reforms should take into account the needs of those most reliant on Social Security and those who have difficulty postponing retirement.
  • Recognize the value of Social Security’s core elements. Social Security should continue to reward work. The key elements of Social Security’s successful program structure should be preserved: progressive, defined benefits that cannot be outlived; inflation protection; and benefits related to earnings.
  • Make improvements to reflect today’s workforce. An updated Social Security program must address the economic and demographic changes over the last 80 years to be able to respond to the needs of future beneficiaries and their families.
  • Ensure fairness. Changes to the program should be implemented gradually and should protect current beneficiaries and near retirees.

Thank you for commenting - it's really important to hear from our members, and we are listening. Rest assured we will do everything we can to protect your hard-earned Medicare and Social Security benefits.

For nearly 60 years, AARP has been fighting to ensure Americans get the benefits they’ve earned. In 2005, we successfully beat back Social Security privatization. In 2012 and 2013 we mobilized our members to fight against budget deals that would have cut your Medicare and Social Security benefits.

We need to strengthen these programs, not cut them. And we’ll keep fighting with the full power of our nearly 38 million members to protect your Medicare and Social Security benefits.

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