(10/1) When I chose to run for Congress, I knew that I wasn’t following the path of many of my colleagues in Washington. I wasn’t doing it for fame, or power, or money. And I certainly wasn’t doing it to become a career officeholder. I was doing it to make a difference. Since my election, I’ve strived to fulfill my promise to put people over politics and deliver results to those I serve — especially those whose voices are not heard in the corridors of power.
This is why I am so disappointed that our government too often fails to deliver meaningful results to seniors and older adults. It’s past time that we correct this omission.
Across our country today, over 15 million seniors are economically insecure. Nearly 40% of them rely on Social Security as their only means of income. Over 5 million seniors struggle to access food on a regular basis. These numbers are incredibly dire. They represent grandmothers, grandfathers, parents, and neighbors who have been left behind. They deserve more.
On the positive side, we’ve made some progress recently in combating these challenges. For example, when COVID-19 struck in early 2020, necessary social distancing measures left more seniors feeling alone than ever before. It was clear we had to act. That’s why I introduced bipartisan legislation in 2020 that provides millions in funding for senior outreach programs, home and community-based services, and more.
In recent months, we’ve also taken steps to make healthcare more affordable. The Inflation Reduction Act — which is now law — included several provisions to reduce the economic burden on seniors. First, we empowered Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies for the very first time. From 2008 to 2021, median drug prices for a yearly supply rose from $2,115 to more than $180,000. Much of this is due to corporate greed. But a critical factor is that Congress previously prohibited the government from using its leverage to negotiate lower prices. Now, Medicare, the biggest buyer of pharmaceuticals in the country, will be able to put a stop to these increases.
But these promising steps are far from enough. If we don’t take drastic measures now, Social Security is projected to be insolvent by 2037. Healthcare costs will continue to rise. And a growing number of seniors will face economic, food, and housing insecurity. We must do more.
The first step is to fix Social Security and ensure that this lifeline is there for seniors for years to come. Despite the rhetoric of some opponents, Social Security is most assuredly not a handout. It’s an entitlement that every American pays for. The very least we can do is make sure it’s there for seniors when they need it.
Attempts to privatize Social Security are dangerous and misguided. This would do much more harm than good. To address long-term solvency issues, we need to make sure the wealthiest Americans do not hide behind outdated caps and begin paying their fair share into the Social Security trust fund. They can afford it, and seniors need and deserve the financial safety this would provide.
We also need to recommit ourselves to being leaders in medical research. My father, like too many Americans, died of Alzheimer’s in 2011. It was devastating to watch him deteriorate over the years, a pain too many families know firsthand.
One of the very first proposals I offered when I moved into public service was doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health. Increasing what we spend on medical research is a great investment, as the case of Alzheimer’s shows. We spend hundreds of billions each year caring for people with Alzheimer’s, but NIH spends only a fraction of that researching a cure. This recommitment to researching deadly diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, and even mental illness will save lives — and save money in the long run.
In order to get all of this done, we need leaders willing to put in the work and leaders with the right priorities. We need leaders who will put the people first and stand up against special interests who try to stop our progress. We need leaders willing to listen. Most importantly, we need leaders with compassion and a willingness to make decisions for the long term, not just the next election. While the road to solving the challenges our seniors face is far from simple, it couldn’t be more important.
