Thomas Smith: Carson Called Social Security “Basically [...] A Ponzi Scheme” And Suggested “Gradually Start[ing] To Raise The [Retirement] Age,” And Said He Wanted To Eliminate Medicaid And Medicare

2015: Carson Called Social Security “Basically [...] A Ponzi Scheme” And Suggested Raising The Retirement Age For Anyone Under The Age Of 55

VIDEO: 2015: Carson Said Social Security “Basically Is A Ponzi Scheme.” QUESTION: “So, the number one driver of our debt, however, are entitlements, which raise some harder questions. Social Security, things that people have come to depend on. We have a lot of people in our tent, younger people, who are watching this. What are you going to do about those things – what are you going to do about their future?” CARSON: “Well, let me just address one of them, because we can talk about all of them all day long. Social Security, which basically is a Ponzi Scheme.” [Steamboat Institute Freedom Conference via YouTube, 8/28/15]

2015: Carson Said He Wanted To “Raise The Age For Anybody Who Is Under The Age Of 55.” CARSON: “What we can do at that point is gradually start to raise the age for anybody who is under the age of 55.” [Steamboat Institute Freedom Conference via YouTube, 8/28/15]

• Carson Said He Advocated For Raising The Social Security Retirement Age. STAR PARKER: “Social Security. Many political insiders are proposing an increased retirement age, in order to, according to them, ‘save the system.’ But while this might sound good for white collar workers like professors or politicians, who may want to die at their desk, the thought of blue collar workers like truck drivers and waitresses working until they’re 75 before they qualify for Social Security is a concern for some of us who advocate on behalf of low wage American workers. So my question is this: if you had a choice between raising the Social Security retirement age, or allowing younger workers to divert their payroll taxes away from the IRS and toward a personal IRA, which would you choose, and why?” CARSON: “Well actually, if you go to BenCarson.com, you’ll see I advocate both of those things.” [Carson Remarks - National Religious Broadcasters Convention via YouTube, 2/26/16]

Carson Supported Eliminating Medicare, Before Suggesting Raising The Eligibility Age To 70 Instead

2013: Carson Said He Wanted To Eliminate Medicare. “Dr. Carson also advocates an alternative to the Affordable Care Act. Most people could pay most of their medical bills through health savings accounts, he said in his office. He would eliminate Medicaid and Medicare, and for the poor, government would make the contributions to their health accounts.” [New York Times, 3/20/13]

Carson Wanted To Abolish The Medicare Program. “Republicans have fended off accusations for years that they’d gut Medicare for seniors and end the program ‘as we know it.’ Not Ben Carson. The former neurosurgeon acknowledges he would abolish the program altogether. Carson, who now leads the GOP field in Iowa according to the latest Quinnipiac Poll, would eliminate the program that provides health care to 49 million senior citizens, as well as Medicaid, and replace it with a system of cradle-to-grave savings accounts which would be funded with $2,000 a year in government contributions. While rivals have been pummeled for proposing less radical changes, Carson hasn’t faced the same scrutiny -- and his continued traction in polls has left GOP strategists and conservative health care wonks scratching their heads.” [Politico, 10/22/15]

• Politico Headline: “Dr. Ben Carson’s Prescription: Abolish Medicare.” [Politico, 10/22/15]

2015: Carson Called For Increasing The Eligibility Age For Medicare To 70. “Dr. Carson's plan also aims to save Medicaid and modernize Medicare (by gradually increasing the eligibility age to 70). These programs will be reformed, not eliminated. For Medicaid, the federal government would provide fixed-dollar support to the states, which must use the funds for insurance premium payments for beneficiaries. For Medicare, beneficiaries would receive a fixed contribution to buy the health insurance they actually want and need. The enrollees of both programs will receive HEA accounts and would be able to choose medical insurance plans like every other American. This will foster healthy competition among private insurance companies, which in turn would promote the expansion of health care options in the marketplace.” [Carson Campaign Release – UCSB Archive, 12/9/15]

Carson Supported A Balanced Budget Amendment, Which Would Threaten “Potentially Deep Cuts” To Both Social Security And Medicare

2015: Carson Supported A Balanced Budget Amendment

Carson Advocated For An Amendment To The Constitution That Would Require Congress To Balance The Federal Budget Every Year. “Like Paul, Carson has also advocated amending the Constitution to require Congress to balance the federal budget every year, which would mean that the government would be unable to borrow money and could only spend what it collects in taxes.” [Washington Post, 9/15/15]

A Balanced Budget Amendment Would “Likely Harm Social Security And Medicare, Subjecting Both Programs To Potentially Deep Cuts”

Center for American Progress Headline: Center for American Progress: “The Balanced-Budget Amendment Threatens Americans’ Health Care, Social Security, and Jobs.” [Center for American Progress, 4/11/18]

AARP Opposed The Balanced Budget Amendment Because It Would “Likely Harm Social Security And Medicare, Subjecting Both Programs To Potentially Deep Cuts.” “AARP is writing to express our opposition to a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States. […] A balanced budget amendment would likely harm Social Security and Medicare, subjecting both programs to potentially deep cuts without regard to the impact on the health and financial security of individuals. It would also likely diminish the resources available for programs assisting Americans who are least able to provide for themselves – services such as meals or heating for those who are too poor or physically unable to take care of their basic needs without some support.” [AARP, Letter, 4/9/18]

• CBPP: Under A Balanced Budget Amendment, “Programs Such As Social Security, Medicare, National Defense, And Veterans’ Benefits Could Be Cut By An Average Of One-Fifth.” “Programs such as Social Security, Medicare, national defense, and veterans’ benefits could be cut by an average of one-fifth under a constitutional amendment before the House this week to require a balanced budget in every year. If policymakers chose to protect some programs from cuts, the cuts in other programs would be even deeper. If they protected Social Security and Medicare, for example, all other programs would be cut by two-fifths.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 4/11/18]

Under A Balanced Budget Amendment, Medicare Part A Would Not Be Able To Pay For Hospitalization Costs, Because It Is Funded Through A Fund Of Saved Treasury Securities. “Medicare Part A — the Hospital Insurance trust fund — has the same structure as Social Security. That trust fund currently holds about $200 billion in Treasury securities, but under a balanced budget amendment, it would be unconstitutional for Medicare to draw down those savings to pay hospitalization costs because all federal expenditures — which includes Medicare payments — would have to be covered by taxes collected in the same year.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 3/16/18]

Center On Budget And Policy Priorities (CBPP): Under A Balanced Budget Amendment, The Military And Federal Employee Civil Service Retirement Systems Would Not Be Able To Pay Retirees, Because They Are Funded Through Funds Of Saved Treasury Securities. “As a result, the $700 billion in Treasury securities held by the military retirement trust fund and the $900 billion in Treasury securities held by the civil service retirement trust fund would be unavailable to pay promised retirement pensions.” [Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 3/16/18]