Protecting Our Seniors

ur responsibility is to balance the budget and take the debt off of our children and off of our grandchildren, but we are obligated to do so in a way that reflects our fundamental obligation to our parents and grandparents.”

—President Bill Clinton

President Clinton is fighting to protect and improve those programs which that successfully provided older Americans with quality health care, economic security, and independence. The President is strengthening our commitment to older Americans by:

	Protecting Medicare and Medicaid from extreme proposals, such as the Dole-Gingrich budget, which would have shifted a staggering financial burden to elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries, reduced Medicaid nursing home coverage for elderly and disabled Americans, and resulted in damaging structural changes in the Medicare program.
	Continuing to fight for proposals that strengthen the Medicare Trust Fund. The President's 1993 Economic Plan extended the life of the Trust Fund by three years, and his balanced budget guarantees the life of the Trust Fund for a decade. President Clinton is combating fraud and abuse, enhancing quality, and supporting an expansion of voluntary managed-care options to increase choices for beneficiaries. He has also proposed more preventive services and respite care benefits for families of victims of Alzheimer's disease.
	Opposing Republican proposals to reduce Medicaid long-term care coverage. The President has consistently supported expanding state administered home- and community-based care services, tax clarifications, consumer standards for private long-term care insurance, and penalty-free withdrawals from IRAs to pay for long-term care.
	Recognizing that Social Security has successfully provided a foundation of economic security to older Americans for decades. The President is committed to ensuring the long-term integrity of the Trust Fund. He has made Social Security an independent agency, reducing backlogs and upgrading services. The President firmly opposes any proposals that would use Social Security benefits to balance the budget to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
	Proposing pension initiatives that are helping more Americans save for retirement and ensuring that pension benefits are safeguarded for retirement. The Retirement Savings and Security Act proposed this year by the President would increase pension portability, enhance pension protection, and expand coverage. The Retirement Protection Act, signed by the President in 1994, strengthened pension plan standards and enhanced enforcement authority so workers and retirees can be assured of receiving the pensions they have earned.
	Proposing reauthorization of the Older Americans Act that will renew and strengthen critical Meals on Wheels, transportation, senior community employment, and ombudsman services. The President is also fighting to protect the Corporation for National Service's Senior Service Programs -- Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program.
	Elevating the Commissioner of Aging to Assistant Secretary status and convening the fourth White House Conference on Aging in May 1995.
	Signing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to give more than 12 million workers the opportunity to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a family member without fear of losing their jobs. The President has also proposed expanding the FMLA and allowing workers to take up to 24 hours of unpaid leave in support of their children's educational needs, older relatives' health care, and other family medical and dental obligations.
	Signing his tough Crime Bill which is adding 100,000 police to our streets and banning 19 kinds of assault weapons. He fought for and signed the Brady Bill which has prevented over 60,000 people with criminal records from buying handguns.

Building on Our Progress

The President will continue to fight for policies that honor our commitment to older Americans and for policies that allow seniors to remain independent and active participants in our communities. The President will continue to work for seniors by:

	Preserving and strengthening Medicare through: assured financial solvency without substantial new costs on beneficiaries or damaging structural changes; expanded choices of high-quality health plans and delivery systems; new preventive benefits; and new protections against fraud and abuse.
	Improving access to home and community-based care and protecting nursing home coverage under Medicaid.
	Implementing private long-term-care insurance standards to protect consumers against substandard policies and unacceptable insurance practices.