Protecting Social Security and Medicare
As a doctor who has cared for countless seniors, I am committed to honoring the promises we have made to our parents and grandparents. After a lifetime of hard work, seniors should be able to retire with security, dignity, and peace of mind. That means protecting Social Security and Medicare, lowering health care and prescription drug costs, and making sure older Americans can access the support they have earned without having to fight through endless bureaucracy.
Across Sacramento County, I have met with seniors who are trying to make ends meet on fixed incomes while facing rising costs for groceries, housing, and health care. Many are worried about whether Social Security and Medicare will be there for them in the future, even after paying into those programs throughout their working lives. I believe those promises must be kept. That is why I have supported the Social Security 2100 Act to strengthen Social Security and improve benefits, and why I will continue fighting to protect both Social Security and Medicare from efforts to weaken or undermine them.
I have also worked to lower health care costs and make Medicare work better for seniors. I supported efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, cap out-of-pocket prescription drug costs, and cap insulin costs at $35 per month so seniors are not forced to choose between filling a prescription and paying the bills. I also reintroduced the bipartisan Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act to reduce prior authorization delays in Medicare Advantage and help seniors get the care they are entitled to without unnecessary denials.
My commitment to seniors is not only about the votes I cast in Washington. My office regularly helps Sacramento County seniors resolve problems involving Social Security, Medicare, and other federal benefits, and since taking office in 2013, my team has helped more than 35,000 local residents cut through red tape and recover more than $23 million that was owed to taxpayers. I will keep fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare, lower health care and prescription drug costs, and make sure seniors in Sacramento County can retire with the security and dignity they deserve.