109^th Legislative Agenda

SOCIAL SECURITY PRIVATIZATION

The National Committee's top priority is to strengthen Social Security and ensure its long-term solvency. Therefore, the National Committee is focused on defeating proposals that would transform Social Security from a social insurance program into an investment program by allowing workers to divert a portion of Social Security payroll taxes to private retirement accounts. Taking money out of Social Security to fund private accounts presents an imminent threat to our traditional Social Security program. Private accounts would worsen Social Security's long-term financing and add trillions of dollars in transition costs to our federal debt. In addition, the privatization proposal that appears to be favored by President Bush includes a component known as price-indexing, which would drastically reduce benefits for future retirees even if they do not opt for a private account.

The National Committee is resolved to defeat privatization proposals by making Americans aware that private accounts funded with payroll taxes would dismantle our current Social Security program and the protections it provides for retired and disabled workers and their survivors. Social Security remains one of our nation's most important and effective income security programs for Americans of all ages.

MEDICARE

The National Committee is devoted to preserving the traditional, fee-for-service Medicare program, and, therefore, opposed the “Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003” (Public Law 108-173). Rather than providing a meaningful prescription drug benefit as part of the Medicare program, this law requires beneficiaries to enroll in a drug program administered by private companies or managed care organizations. The law's premium support demonstration projects could lead to further privatization of Medicare and fewer guarantees for beneficiaries.

The National Committee will remain a vocal advocate for mitigating the negative impact of the Medicare prescription drug law while maximizing consumer protections and guarantees. The need to address real cost containment for prescription drugs is a top priority. The National Committee supports changes in the law to allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries, as it does for veterans, and supports the reimportation of FDA-approved drugs from Canada and certain other countries.

FEDERAL BUDGET

The National Committee remains steadfast in its support for a responsible federal budget. We understand that the economic security, retirement security, and the overall health and well-being of both current and future generations is dependent upon today's fiscal policy decisions.

MEDICAID

The National Committee strongly supports the Medicaid program and the benefits it delivers to millions of elderly and disabled individuals. Medicaid is a critical safety net program for the nation's most vulnerable citizens. It is the single largest payer of long-term care, providing 43 percent of national spending for nursing home care and home- and community-based long-term care services.

OLDER AMERICANS ACT  

The National Committee supports Older Americans Act (OAA) programs, including Meals-on-Wheels, senior centers, transportation, legal services, elder abuse prevention, senior employment and support for family caregivers, which allow many seniors to remain as independent as possible in their homes and communities.  In addition, we support the scheduled reauthorization of the OAA in 2005 as well as increased funding to keep pace with inflation and our expanding senior population.

PENSIONS

The National Committee promotes pension reforms that enhance coverage, participation and pension protection, including repeal of the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision. We support efforts to protect federally-insured defined-benefit pension plans and to expand their coverage. We also support basic safeguards to protect participants in defined-contribution pension plans from the risks of concentrating retirement savings in their employer's stock, and other hazards highlighted by the collapse of 401(k) plans at companies such as Enron.

VETERANS

The National Committee advocates for improved health care, disability and retirement benefits for our nation's veterans and military retirees. We support upgrading TRICARE to attract more providers; authorizing a Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) option for retired beneficiaries; preserving full-inflation Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs); and authorizing full concurrent receipt of military retired pay and VA disability compensation.

March 2005