Affirming the House of Representatives' commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

Bill: 118-hres-178
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-8]
Introduced: 2023-02-28
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Medicare

Social security and elderly assistance
Latest action: action_date: 2023-03-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-02-28
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Social Security and Medicare should be strengthened. It also condemns commissions and the privatization of Social Security.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 178 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 28, 2023 Mr. Kildee submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means , and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Affirming the House of Representatives’ commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.

Whereas Social Security and Medicare have been the foundation of our Nation’s economic and health security, uplifting generations of Americans; Whereas nearly all Americans pay into Social Security and Medicare throughout a lifetime of work, earning retirement insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, and health insurance that ensure the right to benefits when needed; Whereas, today, more than 66,000,000 seniors, people with disabilities, and children rely on Social Security to meet their basic needs and live in dignity; Whereas Social Security protects workers and their families by providing benefits to their children and spouses who depend on them when they retire, experience a career-ending disability, or die; Whereas Social Security benefits are guaranteed to be paid for life and are fully protected against inflation through automatic cost-of-living adjustments; Whereas Social Security is particularly important to people of color and women who are less likely to have pensions or other savings to help protect against financial insecurity; Whereas more than 8,000,000 veterans receive Social Security, and 6,500,000 children depend on Social Security because their parent has died, is disabled, or they live in a household that receives income from Social Security; Whereas, today, more than 63,000,000 seniors and people with disabilities rely on Medicare for guaranteed health care benefits; Whereas Medicare provides access to needed health care, including primary and specialty care, postacute care, preventative services, and prescription drugs; Whereas Medicare paved the way to improve health equity by requiring desegregation as a condition for hospital participation and continues to focus on delivering equitable care today; Whereas Medicare is often the only source of health care for nearly all seniors, and before Medicare, nearly half of older Americans had no health insurance, and today, the population has dropped to just 2 percent; Whereas the median income of Medicare beneficiaries is about $30,000 per year in total from all sources; Whereas under President Biden’s leadership, Medicare beneficiary premiums decreased by $5.20 per month in 2023; Whereas the Affordable Care Act signed under President Obama added 12 years to the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund and improved Medicare plan choices; and Whereas President Biden has stated that proposals to sunset Social Security and Medicare would put them on the chopping block by ending the guaranteed right to these benefits and subjecting seniors’ most basic economic security to periodic crises as Congress is forced to vote repeatedly to continue Social Security and Medicare: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) affirms its unwavering commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare as foundational promises of our society for current beneficiaries and for generations to come; (2) guarantees Social Security and Medicare as earned benefits that workers have paid into throughout their careers; (3) firmly commits to honor the American people’s overwhelming support for strengthening and improving Social Security and Medicare and vigorous opposition to cuts for current and future beneficiaries; (4) honors President Roosevelt’s vision for Social Security to provide for the security of the men, women, and children of the Nation against certain hazards and vicissitudes of life and President Johnson’s vision for Medicare to assure the availability of and accessibility to the best healthcare to all Americans, regardless of age or geography or economic status ; (5) rejects any cuts to Social Security and Medicare, including raising the eligibility age, which would devastate the financial security of current and future retirees; and (6) condemns commissions, which pave the way for benefit cuts through backroom deals, and privatization of Social Security, which replaces secure and guaranteed benefits with stock market risk and takes money away from the Trust Funds, threatening the ability to pay today’s beneficiaries and forcing deep cuts to future retirees.