Instead of Medicare age increase, solve waste

In response to the Oct. 19 letter by Jack Beck criticizing AARP, I am concerned the reader is either ignoring or unaware of the numerous proposals being discussed by the congressional “supercommittee” that could cut the Medicare and Social Security benefits seniors and near-retirees have earned through a lifetime of work.

One proposal would change the formula for calculating Social Security's annual cost-of-living increases starting as soon as next year. This proposal would cut benefits by $112 billion over 10 years, costing today's seniors thousands of dollars over their lifetimes.

Another proposal being supported by some of the nation's largest hospital and insurance groups, would raise the eligibility age for Medicare to 67, increasing costs throughout the system. Raising the eligibility age would not only negatively impact those age 65 or 66, but also increase premiums for people already in Medicare and create an older, more costly insurance pool. These are just two examples of proposals in discussion that would harm current and near beneficiaries.

Congress should find ways to solve our nation's budget problems without damaging Medicare and Social Security. We believe a good start would be addressing the estimated 10 cents on the dollar that Medicare and Medicaid lose to waste and fraud every year.

It should be noted that the supercommittee has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans, and Democrats and Republicans have indicated support for some earned-benefit cut proposals.

Tony Vola

President,

AARP Iowa