Issue Position: Protect Seniors

Issue Position

Seniors work their entire lives paying into the Medicare system on the promise that they will have quality medical care when they retire. Before Medicare, nearly half American seniors lived without health care and nearly one-third of seniors lived in poverty. Today, for more than 460,000 beneficiaries in Western New York, Medicare means affordable prescription medications, preventative care and lower out of pocket expenses.

I've always fought to ensure that seniors receive the benefits they were promised, while protecting and strengthening the program for future generations. That is why I have fought against efforts to privatize Social Security and Medicare that would end these program as we know them, and why I've introduced legislation to strengthen Medicare by cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse.

I have also worked to leverage the purchasing power of prescription drugs to negotiate lower prices for Medicare recipients, and I've supported reforms to close the prescription drug donut-hole, saving our seniors billions of dollars each year.

Furthermore, I believe that we must continue to innovate to ensure that our seniors receive the best, most cost effective care, which is why I have worked to promote teleheath services that save time and costs, especially in the rural communities of Western New York.

Working together, Democrats and Republicans, we can ensure that we keep our promises to our seniors and strengthen these critical programs for generations to come.

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