MarketWatch writes article about Strain from Boomers makes Medicare reform a major challenge:
Retirement reporter
Border defense and terrorist threats have dominated much of the
discussion during the presidential race, but experts say another kind
of national security issue demands attention: Americans’ ability to
secure a healthy retirement.
Aging baby boomers are set to strain Medicare even as fewer workers
support them through payroll taxes. When Medicare started in the 1960s,
there were about 4.5 workers for every beneficiary, according to the
Urban Institute; today, there are about two.
Republican presidential candidates (L-R) Ohio Governor John Kasich, Jeb
Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and
Ben Carson on stage during a CBS News debate on Feb. 13, 2016, in
Greenville, S.C.
The campaign is accelerating, with both Democrats and Republicans to
hold South Carolina primaries and Nevada caucuses this month. But
though some of the leading candidates have discussed Medicare before
this campaign, few have offered detailed plans for Medicare, the
government program that covers 55 million Americans 65 and older and
those with disabilities, during this cycle.
That’s no surprise, experts say, as Medicare’s finances are complex and
not easily reduced to sound bites. Further, no candidate likes to talk
about benefit cuts, even if they won’t affect current or soon-to-be
retirees.
Democratic presidential candidates Senator Bernie Sanders (L) and
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