By skyforbes 
As we mark the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid today, and prepare to mark the 80th anniversary of Social Security in just two weeks, it is important to acknowledge the difficult truth that each of these programs is on an unsustainable path. Medicare is set to go bankrupt in 2030, Social Security in 2034, and Medicaid enrollment is expected to increase by 10 to 20 million people over the next few years.
The American Century was made possible, in part, because of the security these programs provided our society. My parents are two of the many millions of Americans whose lives have been improved by one or more of these programs. In the last months of his life, Medicare allowed my father to receive the palliative care he needed to pass away with dignity. In recent years, my mother has depended on Medicare to pay for the health care she receives, and Social Security continues to provide for her financial needs.
Preserving the promise of these programs for future generations must be a priority for America’s next president. In fact, particularly in the case of Social Security and Medicare, it will be impossible for our next president to serve two full terms without leading the way toward substantial reforms. The good news is, if we act soon, we will be able to strengthen Social Security and Medicare without altering benefits for current seniors like my mother, or those immediately approaching retirement.
Meeting the urgency of this challenge will require bold leadership. Efforts to reform our entitlement programs have long fallen prey to divisive politics. Too many politicians lie in wait for their opponents to raise this subject so they can accuse them of wanting to take away the benefits of seniors. As a senator from a state with millions of people enrolled in these programs, I have consistently led the call for reform despite the fact that many have warned me it is too politically risky.
As president, I will lead fearlessly on this issue. I will begin the reform effort by making it easier for people who wish to work longer to do so. For many seniors, working longer is not just a preference but a financial opportunity. Yet those who currently choose to keep working past retirement age continue to pay Social Security taxes while receiving almost no extra benefits. In order to remove this disincentive to work, I have proposed eliminating the 12.4 percent Social Security payroll tax for all who have reached retirement age.
We should also help Americans of all ages save more. Social Security was never designed to be the sole source of retirement income; it was designed to serve as a supplement. For people in my generation and younger, this will not simply be the design of Social Security, it will be its reality. That is why I have proposed we give Americans who do not have access to an employer sponsored savings plan the option of enrolling in the same federal Thrift Savings Plan that is available to all members of Congress.
Next, we must act to gradually increase the retirement age for future seniors. We now have a record number of Social Security beneficiaries, many of whom are living another five to ten years longer than Social Security’s earliest recipients. Yet in the past 80 years, Congress has only increased the retirement age by two years. Furthermore, we must reduce the growth of Social Security benefits for upper income seniors while making benefits stronger for lower income seniors. This isn’t a cut, it’s simply a reduction in how fast benefits will increase for wealthier retirees who rely less on Social Security.
The challenge of saving Medicare is perhaps the most daunting of all. We must dramatically expand health care choices for seniors, spur competition in the marketplace, and extend the solvency of the Medicare trust fund, all while making sure traditional Medicare remains an option. This will require transitioning to a premium support system, which would give seniors a generous but fixed amount of money with which to purchase health insurance from either Medicare or a private provider. The choice would be theirs to make.
Reforming Medicaid, which will grow tremendously in cost as ObamaCare is implemented, will be another unavoidable challenge in the years ahead. In addition to repealing and replacing ObamaCare with market- and consumer-centered reforms, I believe Medicaid is long overdue for innovative reforms of its own. I support giving states a per-capita block grant for their Medicaid programs, which would preserve funding for the most vulnerable, while also freeing states from Washington mandates and allowing them to fashion solutions tailored to their unique needs.
All of these reforms will be crucial to preserving the security of American society in the 21st century. Millions of needy and elderly Americans have had access to quality healthcare, countless children have received lifesaving treatments, and generations of seniors have retired with dignity because these programs have existed. As vital as they are to our past and future, they are not self-sustaining; and anyone in favor of doing nothing to save them is in favor of letting them go bankrupt. This is why, as we mark today’s anniversary, we must recommit ourselves to the cause of saving and strengthening these crucial programs.