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Senator Dick Durbin (D. IL), former member of the Gang of 6, is either planning to run again in 2014 or coming to his senses (or both) but not only has he said that Social Security should be taken off the table, he also is against raising the eligibility age for Medicare:
http://abcnews.go.com/...
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“We’ve got to make sure that there is seamless coverage of affordable health insurance for every American,” Durbin said. “My concern about raising that Medicare retirement age is there will be gaps in coverage or coverage that’s way too expensive for seniors to purchase.” - ABC News, 11/25/12
Now Durbin thinks that Medicare and Medicaid should still be a part of the conversation in the deficit reduction negotiations but at least he's not proposing raising the eligibility age which was at one point part of the "grand bargain" talks:
http://www.cnbc.com/...
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Durbin indicated Democrats might accept a reform of the government's Medicare health insurance program for the elderly that would make higher-income seniors pay more for their care.
Democrats traditionally oppose limiting Medicare benefits according to income, a practice known as "means testing." Durbin said Medicaid, a public health insurance program for the poor, also could be overhauled.
But Durbin said social security, the federal government pension program, needs only small tweaks to ensure long-term solvency rather than major reforms. - CNBC, 11/26/12
Now I am curious to know who the higher income elderly are that would have to pay more for their Medicare and I would like to know more about this "Medicaid overhaul". I'm glad to see Durbin come to senses and transition out of that Gang Of 6 mentality.
Glad to see Durbin take Social Security off the table and speaking out against raising the eligibility for Medicare but if you want him to also take Medicare and Medicaid off the table, here are the contact numbers for office in D.C. and his offices in Illinois:
WASHINGTON, D.C.: (202) 224-2152, CALL BETWEEN 9 am to 6 pm
CHICAGO: (312) 353-4952, CALL BETWEEN 8:30 am to 5 pm
SPRINGFIELD: (217) 492-4062, CALL BETWEEN 8:30 am to 5 pm
CARBONDALE: (618) 351-1122, CALL BETWEEN 8:30 am to 5 pm
ROCK ISLAND: (309) 786-5173, CALL BETWEEN 8:30 am to 4:30 pm