Seniors
Rep. Chu speaks with senior citizens.
Seniors have worked hard all their lives and built our nation. America pioneered a social safety net to provide for people as they enter retirement – and they have earned it! We must never neglect that responsibility to our seniors. I share seniors’ strong concerns about protecting Medicare and Social Security. That's why I have continually fought to protect and strengthen these programs that provide income security and vital health care for retirees who have worked hard and rely on them in their golden years.
Protecting Social Security
In the 1930s, over half of American seniors lived in poverty—many of them surviving on whatever relatives and friends could spare. So in 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, making a promise to generations of Americans that, after a lifetime of hard work, your country will repay you with the opportunity to retire gracefully. This landmark legislation has for nearly 100 years been integral in shielding seniors from poverty and allowing them to pursue new opportunities in their next stage of life. In my district in Southern California, more than 100,000 individuals ages 65 and over are safeguarded from poverty via this life saving program.
Democrats are fighting to strengthen the Social Security system so it can continue to support future generations of Americans. I am an original co-sponsor of the Social Security 2100 Act to prevent cuts to Social Security benefits and provide seniors stability in their retirement for years to come. If passed into law, this bill would increase benefits by 2 percent for all recipients for the first time in 52 years. It would also improve the Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) to better reflect the costs incurred by seniors—especially those who spend a greater portion of their income on health care and other necessities. The bill would set any minimum benefit above the poverty line and to wage levels to ensure that the minimum benefit does not fall behind. It would also protect against inflation and repeal the provisions penalizing many public servants. And finally, this bill would be fully paid for by making millionaires and billionaires pay the same rate of social security taxes as working Americans. I will continue to support legislation that puts seniors first and prevents benefit cuts.
Restoring Full Social Security Benefits for Public Servants
Right now, there are two outdated laws that unfairly reduce public employees’ Social Security benefits. The Government Pension Offset (GPO), enacted in 1977, reduces Social Security spousal benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers whose spouses receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government. And the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), enacted in 1983, reduces the Social Security benefits of workers who receive pensions from a federal, state, or local government for employment not covered by Social Security. This means that law enforcement officers, firefighters, teachers, and many other public servants and their families aren’t getting the full benefits they earned. That is why I am a cosponsor of the Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal these two unfair laws and ensure all public employees receive the Social Security benefits they’ve earned through years of hard work and service.
Protecting Medicare
Medicare is our promise to American seniors. After a lifetime of work, Americans can count on the federal government to provide them with reliable, dependable, high-quality health insurance. As a member of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over much of the Medicare program, I am committed to making Medicare work for American seniors.
I oppose Republican efforts to cut or privatize Medicare by automatically enrolling seniors in Medicare Advantage health insurance plans instead of traditional Medicare without their full consent. Medicare Advantage costs the Medicare program more than traditional Medicare, and by making Medicare Advantage the default option, the solvency of the Medicare program would be jeopardized and seniors’ access to health care limited.
Instead, I support expanding Medicare benefits to support our seniors. I believe that Medicare should cover basic services like vision, hearing and dental, and that we should be working to improve services in the Medicare program. I have authored several bills that would expand Medicare access to mental health providers like psychologists, access to Medical Nutrition Therapy for individuals diagnosed with eating disorders, and coverage for custom breast prosthetics for Medicare beneficiaries who undergo mastectomies. I’ve also authored legislation to allow licensed acupuncturists to participate as providers in Medicare so that seniors can have an effective treatment option available to them.
Lowering Prescription Drug Costs
America's seniors have long suffered from skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs in this country. No one should be forced to ration their medication or skip meals to afford the medication that keeps them alive and healthy. That is why, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I fought hard to pass the Inflation Reduction Act in the 117th Congress and address the rising cost of prescription drugs, because I know it directly impacts the lives of so many in our community. The Inflation Reduction Actcreated the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, which allows Medicare for the first time to negotiate directly with drug manufacturers to lower the costs of the most widely used and expensive drugs that seniors rely on to treat heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer and more. As a result, the list prices for 10 of the most widely used and expensive drugs in the Medicare program will drop significantly starting January 2026, with more medications to be selected for price negotiation each year. Over 9,000,000 Americans currently take one or more of those first 10 drugs, and Medicare patients are expected to save $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses when the negotiated prices go into effect. The law also capped out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 per year and monthly insulin costs at just $35 for all seniors on Medicare.