Minnick: Increase Age For Benefits

The starting age for Medicare and Social Security benefits should slowly be increased from age 65 to 70, Democratic Senate candidate Walt Minnick says.

That would save $100 billion per year in Social Security benefits alone, Minnick said in a weekend interview.

“The sensible thing is to slowly scale it up,” he said. “Twenty-five years from now, people will have to wait five more years.”

The spokesman for Minnick’s opponent, Republican Sen. Larry Craig, said Craig would be unlikely to agree.

“What is preferable with any of these programs is to slow the growth or slow the increases, which is something they have been trying to do all along,” Mike Tracy said.

“I think the senator would have a real hard time dealing with that kind of approach, especially since seniors have been promised this program all along as they have participated in it,” he said.

Tracy said Craig and other Republicans want to limit the growth in Medicare spending to 7.4 percent, “which would extend the life of the program substantially.”

Minnick said it’s irresponsible for congressional and presidential candidates to promise voters they won’t touch Medicare and Social Security.