U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, and her Republican challenger George Logan fielded questions Friday about some of the top issues facing voters who are 50 and older at AARP CT’s candidate forum for the 5th Congressional District race.
The candidates were asked about a range of topics like Medicare, Social Security and caregiving by AARP CT as well as people from the district who called into the 45-minute tele-town hall. The live forum was not structured as a debate where they could offer rebuttals.
But Hayes and Logan still found opportunities to draw contrasts and challenge each other’s positions on support for social services for retirees, pricing of prescription drugs and taxes to pay for some of these programs.
The two will face off in a high-stakes rematch on Nov. 5 with control of the U.S. House on the line again. Hayes bested Logan by a little over 2,000 votes in 2022, the closest race she has faced since her first election in 2018. Even with Logan’s defeat that year, Republicans were able to take back the House with a very narrow majority.
A Republican from Connecticut has not served in Congress in 15 years, but the party sees the race as one of its best chances to flip a seat in the state as well as the New England area. The last Republican to serve in the 5th District was Nancy Johnson, who lost reelection in 2006 to Chris Murphy, who is now a U.S. senator.
Logan and Hayes had their first and only in-person debate of the campaign last week where they sparred over more wide-ranging topics. But Friday’s forum gave them a chance to speak to their positions and policies on a slate of issues affecting older adults.
Social Security
One of the biggest concerns for older adults and soon-to-be retirees is the long-term financial health of Social Security and concerns over benefits.
Current estimates show the Trust Fund for old age and survivors insurance will be able to pay 100% of benefits through 2033. After that, it could result in people receiving reduced benefits amounting to about a 20% cut.
About 708,000 people in Connecticut — about 20% of the state’s population — receive benefits, according to December 2022 data from the U.S. Social Security Administration. More than three-quarters are retired workers, while about 10% are receiving disability income. And some of those recipients are children and people receiving survivor benefits from deceased spouses or family members.
Logan said he would not support cuts to Social Security, accusing Democrats of using “scare tactics” regarding their rhetoric about that program as well as on Medicare. He said he wanted to fix the Social Security “shortfall” and deal with the issue of solvency sooner rather than later in Congress.
During the forum, Hayes cited a budget blueprint released earlier this year from a group of 170 House Republicans who have proposed raising the age of retirement for future retirees. Budget proposals rarely become law, but help establish policy goals and messaging around issues.
Hayes pointed to her support for a few pieces of legislation on Social Security. She backs the Social Security 2100 Act, which has been led by her colleague U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1st District. That bill would enact an across-the-board hike in benefits by 2%. It would also bolster the program’s solvency by requiring higher earners to contribute more to payroll taxes and boost the cost of living adjustment to better reflect current inflation.
To help pay for that plan, it would apply payroll taxes to wages over $400,000, while adding an additional net investment income tax for those earning more than $400,000.
Hayes also noted her support for the bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act. That bill would eliminate a pair of provisions that reduce benefits for tens of thousands of people in Connecticut who worked in public service like teachers, police officers, firefighters and government employees.
The Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset can lower payments to certain beneficiaries as well as their spouses and surviving family members who also collect pensions from jobs that were not covered by Social Security.
The sponsors of the bill have been trying to force a vote on it in the U.S. House through a procedural tool called a discharge petition. They gathered enough petition signatures from lawmakers to hold a vote, which could happen when Congress returns after the November elections.
Medicare and prescription drugs
The candidates were pressed on how they can protect Medicare benefits from cuts.
Hayes said she wanted to expand coverage to include services like dental and vision under Medicare, continue the negotiation of drug costs and offer preventative care services.
She also pointed to the Biden administration’s push to extend the program’s solvency by “modestly increasing the Medicare tax rate on incomes over $400,000.”
“I agree with that and closing some of the loopholes to make sure that we are properly funding the program so that it is fair for the people who are using it,” Hayes said.
Logan once again pushed back that he would not support cuts to Medicare or a change to the age of eligibility. He argued that “both parties are responsible for where we are right now,” while also taking aim at his opponent for supporting “bigger government” to address issues around Medicare and associated costs.
In a question asked by a caller, both candidates said they would want to work on ways Congress can include hearing aids to be covered under Medicare.
“It’s incumbent upon Congress to make sure that the needs of our seniors are met and I do certainly believe that hearing aids are one of those,” Logan said in response to a question from a caller from Watertown. “We need to make sure that Congress and our laws evolve and change and improve as the needs or our seniors are being known.”
Hayes said Democrats tried to cover hearing aids as a part of the Build Back Better Act that was structured to deal with a number of issues. The bill passed the House in 2021 but stalled in the Senate with resistance from Republicans and a couple of Democrats. A year later, Democrats eventually passed what became known as the Inflation Reduction Act, another wide-ranging bill that included some reforms on Medicare but did not include funding to cover hearing aids.
The congresswoman later pointed to the parts of the Inflation Reduction Act that capped the monthly price of insulin to $35 for Medicare beneficiaries as well as Medicare’s ability to negotiate prices on certain prescription drugs. The Biden administration said the new prices for 10 medications will go into effect in 2026.
But Logan pushed back on Hayes’ support for the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing that the government “needs to be a referee and not pick winners and losers.”
“We need to be able to use competition to lower costs for patients,” Logan said. “We need innovation.”
Caregiving
Both candidates shared personal stories of caring and supporting ailing family members.
Hayes recalled her grandmother who had dementia that later developed into Alzheimer’s. She said her grandmother remained in her home for five years with “around-the-clock care.”
The congresswoman specifically cited her support for the Credit for Caring Act, which would provide eligible caregivers with up to $5,000 in federal tax credits to cover 30% of expenses for long-term care.
Logan spoke about his 86-year-old mother who lives at home independently. He said they have a big family who are all able to contribute caring for her, but noted that she had a recurrence of cancer and finished her final treatment last week.
The former state senator said he wants to find a way to provide relief to caregivers and give tax credits “to family members who are juggling these responsibilities.”
Other challenges
The candidates were asked about several other issues facing age 50+ voters in Connecticut.
They both found general agreement regarding Congress doing more to address age discrimination and enact better laws to protect them in the workplace.
When asked what the biggest challenges facing older Americans were, Hayes said the protection of Social Security and the need for more affordable housing for older adults. Logan pointed to the costs of prescription drugs.
The forum concluded with closing statements that made pointed remarks about their opponent and sought to make further distinctions between the two of them.
Hayes said proposals to restructure programs like Social Security and Medicare undermine what older adults and eventual retirees have worked toward for years.
“[Republicans] don’t have to say that they outright want to cut Social Security, but that’s what that means in layman’s terms,” Hayes said. “Social Security is your money. You’ve earned it and I’m going to protect it.”
Logan, meanwhile, sought to assure voters that those benefits will not be threatened in future sessions of Congress.
“I find it totally disingenuous and a political scare tactic for politicians to scare seniors by lying to them saying Republicans are going to cut Social Security and Medicare when they know darn well that’s not going to happen,” Logan said. “Our politics is broken, and my opponent is a case in point of that.”