Seniors
Congressman Bilirakis hosts a Seniors Health Fair each year to provide important information and services for seniors in the 12th Congressional District.
Social Security and Medicare must remain fiscally solvent to ensure retirement security for current seniors, our children and grandchildren. However, Social Security has been operating at a deficit since 2010. Unless Social Security is modernized and strengthened, these deficits may cause the annual cost-of-living adjustments to shrink or disappear entirely in the future. Representative Bilirakis strongly believes that Congress must make serious fiscal reforms to ensure our financial stability while still ensuring that we uphold the commitments we have made to our seniors. He is absolutely opposed to legislation that will cut Social Security for seniors in order to pay for overseas operations, health care for others or any other program. Any cuts to Social Security will be especially difficult for those seniors on fixed incomes.
Congressman Bilirakis also supports the Medicare program. Medicare is extremely important to seniors, and arguably the most popular aspects of the program – Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D – operate successfully because of free market principles. Medicare also needs to ensure its fiscal viability for current and future beneficiaries. Gus has introduced two major pieces of legislation to protect Medicare, and save money within the program without impacting benefits or beneficiaries. H.R. 3392, the Medicare Part D Patient Safety and Drug Abuse Prevention Act, would establish a Safe Pharmacy Access Program, to prevent high-risk beneficiaries from abusing controlled substances. This is a cost-saving measure utilized by private industry, TRICARE, and state Medicaid programs. H.R. 2828, the Medicare Abuse Prevention (MAP) Act, would remove Social Security Numbers from Medicare cards and strengthens the civil and criminal penalties for Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP abuse. It would also incentivize states toconduct their own prescription drug monitoring programs.
Legislative Spotlight:
Bilirakis Sponsors Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Seniors' Hearing Services
Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced H.R. 2330, the bi-partisan Medicare Audiology Services Enhancement Act, which clarifies current Medicare rules to expand access to audiology services for seniors who are hearing impaired. Read more...
Senior Citizens' Online Resources:
Official Information & Services from the Federal Government
- Social Security
- Caregivers' Resources
- Consumer Protection for Seniors
- Education, Jobs and Volunteerism for Seniors
- End-of-Life Issues
- Federal and State Agencies for Seniors
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
- Health for Seniors
- Housing for Seniors
- Laws & Regulations Concerning Seniors
- Money & Taxes for Seniors
- Retirement
- Travel & Recreation for Seniors
- Identity Protection
- Tax Scams & Consumer Alerts
State & Local Information and Services
More on Seniors
Looking back on 2016, a turbulent year for sure in politics, we often saw the biggest rivalries and the loudest pundits take center stage. All along, my main focus was always working hard on behalf of Florida’s 12th District. We accomplished some important legislative wins for our communities, with 16 initiatives I wrote being signed into law this year.
While there’s still much work to be done, a unified Republican government come January will give us a strong foundation to solve the largest problems facing Florida and the entire country.