How to save Medicare and Social Security and how to increase the benefits of both

[Horse with no Name]

I have thought and thought about this...and wonder if this would be an approach that would work.

Discontinue the cadillac insurance plans that Congress and former members of Congress have, in fact, let's include the Executive and Judicial branches as well. Do away with their exorbitant salaries. The people WE hire shouldn't live better than the majority of Americans. Sorry, they just shouldn't and I don't believe the founding fathers thought that either. I don't want to have a discussion about Constitutional issues because they have raised the salaries repeatedly over the years. It's time "we the people" make the decision to lower it. Let THEM feel the sacrifice they expect us to feel.
SERVING the Government was NEVER supposed to be a gravy train--it was supposed to be a calling. Let's make it that way again.
Put EVERYONE in government on Social Security for their salary. Give them all Medicare for their insurance. Congress has never had a problem giving themselves raises and extending their own benefits while cutting ours.
Everytime our legislators give themselves a raise...they would have to give all Americans on Social Security a raise.
Everytime our legislators increased their health benefits, all recipients of Medicare would get the same increase.

Is there ANY brave legislator out there that would consider this proposal?

[elleng]

1. They don't have 'cadillac' insurance plans, they have good plans,

a choice among good plans into which they contribute. Same as govt employees. Read all about it.

http://www.opm.gov/insure/health/

[Horse with no Name]

3. I bet it covers a helluva lot more than mine does. n/t

[elleng]

5. They (we, Fed'Ee spouse) have choices,

high, medium, lower 'coverage,' and cost, quite a variety, could include plans similar to yours.

[dkf]

2. I wouldn't trust them to be realistic on SS or Medicare.

They would raise other benefits to increase their own knowing it would collapse under that weight. They are like kids, they want it now. The future is too far away.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. I like it, but... Social Security doesn't need to be saved.

It's fine, fully-funded as far as the eye can see (75 years) unless the economy gets very bad (way worse than now) for a very long time.