Recent battles we've fought to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits
2007/2008 — Convinced Congress to increase funding levels and thereby prevent massive furloughs at the Social Security Administration. The National Committee successfully fought for increased funds, averting office closures all over the country in 2007. After continued intense lobbying Congress approved funding for Fiscal Year 2008 at $451 million over last year's level, helping speed up disability reviews.
2005/2006 — Thwarted the most serious attempt ever to partially privatize Social Security, achieving our 15 th consecutive year of holding the line (so far) on harmful privatization reforms! In 2005 and 2006 alone, hundreds of thousands of National Committee members flooded Capitol Hill with petitions and letters to Congress and the White House reaffirming seniors' rejection of the President's plan for private Social Security accounts. Meanwhile, our intense schedule of town hall meetings, Capitol Hill briefings, talk show appearances, and our member-supported media campaign helped erode and reverse lawmakers' support for privatization legislation. The President's vow to cut entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare means the battle will continue in 2008.
2005 — Launched an aggressive campaign to protect Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) from soaring Medicare out-of-pocket costs. Under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, annual increases in Medicare deductibles have joined premiums in being indexed to rising healthcare inflation, and out-of-pocket costs will eventually consume nearly half of the average Social Security benefit check. Our campaign has been successful in bringing Congress' attention to this critical and growing issue. But we need to fight even harder to push Congress to take corrective action immediately.
2004 — Helped save Social Security funds from being cut under a Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment by demonstrating overwhelming grassroots opposition to H.J. Res. 22. With appeals from 1.4 million National Committee members and supporters, the Constitutional Amendment was pulled from consideration before a scheduled vote in the House Judiciary Committee! There is talk every year about bringing it back up for a vote, so we need to keep a wary eye on it.
2003 — Prevented the full privatization of Medicare by helping defeat a dangerous House bill calling for full premium support, while continuing the fight to fix the misguided Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 that passed in its place. To date, millions of our members have signed letters and petitions to Congress urging immediate, “corrective” Medicare bills to make prescription drugs affordable and available to all seniors. In addition, we are determined to prevent the new law's privatization experiment scheduled to begin in 2010.
2001 — Fought to reduce the Administration's tax cut in order to provide funding for a meaningful prescription drug benefit under Medicare. While this effort did not succeed, we continue to support efforts to modify tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans because we recognize the need to balance the federal budget in a way that ensures the long-range solvency of Social Security and Medicare.
2000 — The National Committee was instrumental in giving seniors between 65 and 69 years of age the unlimited right to work without losing some of their Social Security benefits. In large part because of our efforts, the Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act was passed and was signed into law on April 7, 2000.
2000 — The National Committee coordinated a coalition of senior organizations' efforts to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA), which ensures continued funding for a variety of state and local programs, including meals programs, in-home support services, pension counseling programs, and jobs programs for seniors. The National Committee also supported a successful reauthorization effort in 2006.