Seniors
Prior to its creation in 1965, only 50 percent of seniors had health insurance. Today, Medicare provides one of the most important guarantees in our society – the guarantee that if you are an older American and you get sick, you will get the care that you need without going broke. Brian is committed to protecting the Medicare guarantee, opposing plans that would force seniors to buy insurance on the open market, and making sure that the program remains affordable and continues gives seniors access to the care they deserve.
Social Security is the most successful antipoverty program in American history and we must keep it strong for the future. The formula used to set the annual cost of living increase is out of date and does not properly weigh the price increases in housing and medical care. Brian supports using a Consumer Price Index for the Elderly to more accurately reflect the costs incurred by seniors. And rather than cut benefits or ask Americans to invest their Social Security in Wall Street, Brian thinks we should lift the cap on what very high income Americans are asked to pay into the system.
More on Seniors
At a hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means, Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) questioned the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Thomas Price, M.D. about the absurdity of including exorbitant tax breaks for health insurance executives in the Republican health care bill.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26), a member of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means and its Health Subcommittee, raised strong objection to executive tax breaks included in the Republican American Health Care Act (AHCA). Higgins points out the absurdity of rewarding UnitedHealth Group, and companies like it, accused of bilking taxpayers out of billions of dollars.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) spoke on the House Floor advocating for legislation that would create a more accurate formula to determine the annual Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for those who receive Social Security retirement benefits. The bill, the Consumer Price Index for the Elderly (CPI-E) Act of 2015 (H.R. 3351), would result in a more accurate measure of the cost of living for seniors.
Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) and Village of Williamsville Mayor Brian Kulpa announced a plan to preserve access to Social Security services for residents in northern Erie County. Under an agreement with the Village of Williamsville, residents will be able to connect with Social Security Administration (SSA) caseworkers directly from Village Hall.
Following a call with Social Security Acting Commissioner Carolyn Colvin this morning, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) are insisting the Social Security Administration halt all plans to close the field office in Amherst, New York.
Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer and Congressman Brian Higgins requested an in-person meeting with the Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) Carolyn Colvin in Washington DC to raise concerns about the slated closure of the Amherst Social Security Office. Schumer and Higgins will make the case that the Amherst Office is efficient and has sufficient demand to warrant continued operation. They are pressing Acting Commissioner Colvin to hear out their arguments and they both will urge the Commissioner to reverse course and keep Amherst open.
