Protecting Medicare, Medicaid and
Social Security Is a Political Winner

By David Shuster
Huffington Post

July 31, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-shuster/yes-protecting-the-social-safety-net-is-a-political-winner_b_1721812.html?utm

As Republicans target America's social safety net, a
top Democrat is now urging colleagues to join the
fight, describing Medicare, Medicaid, and Social
Security as "winners."

Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Co-Chair of
the House Task Force on Seniors, spoke with
reporters today to mark the 47th anniversary of
Medicare. She said, "If everybody took a deep breath
and looked at the reality of how this is going to help
them and their families, this is a great issue for us
to campaign on."

Schakowsky is spot on. And it's refreshing to see at
least some Democrats paying attention to the
intriguing special election results last month in
Arizona. Democrat Ron Barber focused hard on
protecting social programs and easily fended off a
strong Republican challenge in the swing district
previously represented by Democratic
Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.

The backbone emerging in the Democratic Party
comes at an important time. It was 47 years ago this
week when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed
Medicare into law. The legislation represented a
monumental leap forward in how Americans treated
one another. At the time, half of seniors did not
have any health insurance. And those seniors who
did have insurance paid three times what younger
people paid for their care despite having, on
average, just half as much income.

This week, in honor of Medicare's birthday, a
coalition of 300 national and state organizations
known as the Strengthen Social Security campaign
announced the release of a new series of reports,
"Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid Work for
America." The reports show the clear value and
benefits these programs provide in every state, as
well as the raw numbers and demographics of
people whose lives have literally been saved thanks
to America's social safety net.

Thankfully, the "Social Security, Medicare &
Medicaid Work for America" reports aren't getting
overlooked. The data are being released in over a
dozen states where seniors' groups, such as the
Alliance for Retired Americans, have events planned
in honor of Medicare's birthday, including in the
election battlegrounds of Colorado, Florida, Nevada,
New Mexico, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Reports for the
remainder of the 50 states and the District of

Columbia will be released on or before Social
Security's 77th birthday on Aug. 14. "These are
issues that should be front and center in
Democratic campaigns," said Schakowsky.
"Republicans want to weaken or end all three
programs.

Schakowsky insists that running as defenders of
Medicare and Social Security does not contradict the
politically popular message of fiscal responsibility.
"Social Security ... everyone acknowledges has
absolutely nothing to do with the deficit," she noted.

On Medicare, Schakowsky urged Democrats to tout
the cost-saving Medicare reforms in the Affordable
Care Act as evidence of fiscal responsibility that also
improves the quality of and access to health care.
"We made many improvements in Medicare that are
going to save lots of money, something the
Republicans do not want to acknowledge," she said.
"This is a golden moment for people to take another
look at the new health care proposals that are done
under the Affordable Care Act." Indeed, the ACA
makes prescription drugs more affordable for
seniors and allows preventative care without co-
pays, just one of the many crucial improvements
that will also save the system money.

And yet, many Democrats are still convinced that
electoral success requires a "grand bargain" with
Republicans on social programs, such as the
"Simpson-Bowles" plan. I don't think it's an election
winner to embrace cutting Social Security benefits
for today's young and middle-aged Americans by 19
percent, as Simpson-Bowles would do, according to
estimates by the Chief Actuary of the Social Security
Administration. And never mind the cuts to younger
Americans -- the plan would also cut the Social
Security COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) for
current beneficiaries through the adoption of the
chained CPI (consumer price index).

Congresswoman Schakowsky was a member of the
Simpson-Bowles Commission and voted against the
co-chairs' plan. She knows that it would be bad
policy to cut Social Security, Medicaid, and
Medicare, and even worse politics. Democrats
should follow her lead: Instead of running away
from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, they
should run toward the programs and vow to protect
them. It's an approach that will win in November
and strengthen our society.

___________________________________________

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