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Seniors

Ed is committed to our seniors – that means protecting Social Security and Medicare and ensuring that every senior can retire with dignity and respect.

Social Security

Time and again, Ed has fought to protect Social Security and Medicare, which provide retirement security to more than one million people in Massachusetts. He opposes any changes to Social Security that would reduce benefits for our nation’s seniors, including misguided proposals to raise the retirement age or reduce cost of living adjustments.  And Ed will always fight against Republicans’ attempts to privatize Social Security.

Medicare

Ed voted against Congressman Paul Ryan’s budget plan and he opposes Republican efforts to turn Medicare into a voucher program that would slash benefits for seniors.

Ed voted for health care reform that saves Medicare recipients money on prescription drugs by closing the “donut hole,” which forced seniors to pay huge out-of-pocket expenses to get the medicines they need. Since health care reform was enacted, Massachusetts residents have saved more than $90 million on prescription drugs, and those eligible for Medicare now have access to free preventive services, such as mammograms and colonoscopies.

The health care reform law included Ed’s Independence at Home program, which improves the care that patients receive and saves money by helping seniors avoid costly hospital visits by keeping them in the comfort of their homes. Independence at Home could save up to $30 billion, while also improving health care quality and lowering medical costs for our seniors.

Home energy assistance

Ed is the Congressional champion for protecting funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low-income households meet their immediate home energy needs. Massachusetts seniors and other vulnerable populations rely on this funding to heat their homes through the winter.

In 2010, Congressman Markey won the “Joe Moakley Award for Outstanding Congressional Service in Support of Low Income Home Energy Assistance” Award from the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association. In July 2010, he received the “Extra Mile Award” for his legislative achievements and advocacy for LIHEAP from the National Fuel Funds Network.