Jeb Bush proposes cutting benefits for wealthier seniors

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

Jeb Bush, who made news this weekend by lamenting the unserious nature of the Donald Trump-dominated Republican primary, on Tuesday will return to a subject that's more comfortable for him: policy.

 

The former Florida governor is unveiling a plan to shore up Social Security and Medicare through a variety of changes that would reduce government benefits for seniors at higher income levels and provide retirees with more choices to save and to finance their health spending.

 

In a notable departure from his brother President George W. Bush, the package of Social Security reforms does not include allowing younger workers the option of diverting a portion of their payroll taxes into personal investment accounts. Instead, he's adopted a number of ideas previously proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and endorsed by the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction commission.

 

On Medicare, Bush embraces Ryan's premium support model, under which seniors would have the option of leaving traditional Medicare and choosing from competing subsidized private plans. The value of the premium support will be based on an average of all the plans.