The following statement was issued on August 2, 2011 by Barbara Franklin, President of the Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans:

“Illinois retirees are relieved – at least for now – that Social Security and Medicare were not cut in this week’s debt ceiling agreement in Washington.  But retirees cannot sit back and think that this crisis is over.  The new law creates a so-called ‘Super-Committee’ on Capitol Hill that could, by the end of the year, recommend sweeping cuts in Social Security and Medicare.

“Illinois retirees need to keep a close, wary eye on this new congressional panel.  We cannot allow those who have never liked Social Security or Medicare to use this budget climate as political cover for ideological attacks on programs that have kept generations of seniors healthy and out of poverty.

The Illinois Alliance for Retired Americans is taking action and celebrating Social Security’s 76^th anniversary at an educational forum on August 18 in East Alton to discuss how to make sure Social Security is protected for the next 76 years. The Illinois Alliance is also sending people to the national Alliance’s legislative conference in Washington, DC in September, where they will learn the latest on the budget debate and lobby their lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

“This week’s debt agreement failed to address the root causes of our deficit, our fundamentally-flawed tax and spending and policies. Social Security has not added one penny to our deficit – it is fully-funded by worker and employer payroll taxes.  Our deficits were not created by Social Security checks that average just over $1,000 per month, nor do we have a national debt because of retirees who simply want to see a doctor or fill a prescription.

“My generation wants to lower the deficit.  We do not want a large debt to be the legacy we leave behind for our children and grandchildren.  But there is a right way and a wrong way to do this.  Members of the Illinois Alliance will spend the coming month urging our state’s congressional delegation to not balance the budget on the backs of Illinois’ seniors.”

Over 150 Alliance members from northeastern states gathered this week in Philadelphia for workshops and presentations to help educate and mobilize retirees for the 2012 elections. Retiree activists participated in training sessions to learn the latest developments on Medicare and health care reform from experts Kathleen Otte, Jaime Torres and Joanne Grossi of the U.S. Department of Health and H...

Retirees may pay about $20,000 more for medical care if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the 2010 health care overhaul, according to a report from Fidelity Investments. Passage of the health law saved money for seniors, who among other benefits gained additional coverage for prescription drugs and free preventive care. The cost of losing those benefits, should the court overturn the law, would ...