[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 147 (Thursday, December 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             ACHIEVING A BETTER LIFE EXPERIENCE ACT OF 2014

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 3, 2014

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, It's a laudable and worthy goal to 
incentivize savings and ensure that families of individuals with 
disabilities have access to the resources they need. But Congress has a 
responsibility to ensure that limited resources benefit those who need 
the help the most. Unfortunately, this bill is yet another example of 
an upside-down tax code that provides the greatest benefits to those of 
greatest means, not to middle class families living paycheck to 
paycheck.
  Additionally, as AARP has noted in the attached letter, 
``establishing the ABLE program should not be achieved by tapping into 
Medicare savings.'' Using Medicare savings to offset non-health related 
programs sets a dangerous precedent. While there are elements to this 
bill that both sides can agree on, this bill takes one step forward and 
two steps back.

                                              American Association


                                            of Retired People,

                                                 December 3, 2014.
       Dear Representative: As the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan 
     organization representing the interests of Americans age 50 
     and older and their families, AARP urges you to reject using 
     Medicare savings as an offset to pay for non-healthcare 
     programs, including the cost of the Achieving a Better Life 
     Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014.
       AARP has consistently advocated against using permanent 
     reductions in Medicare to pay for other unrelated government 
     spending. While we agree it is important to help individuals 
     with disabilities maintain health, independence, and quality 
     of life, we oppose using Medicare savings to finance tax 
     expenditures or other non-healthcare programs.
       The ABLE Act establishes tax-exempt savings plans for 
     persons with disabilities, making it much easier for them and 
     their families to save for future expenses. Although ABLE 
     accounts are only available for individuals under the age of 
     26, the savings accrued will help with living expenses as the 
     person ages. This is especially important because at ages 50-
     64, adults with disabilities are less than half as likely to 
     be employed as those without disabilities.
       However, establishing the ABLE program should not be 
     achieved by tapping into Medicare savings. This is especially 
     true at a time when Medicare faces its own long term funding 
     needs, and when Congress will shortly need to find savings to 
     pay for either permanent Medicare SGR reform or another 
     temporary ``doc fix'' in 2015. We urge you to remove Medicare 
     offsets from the ABLE Act.
           Sincerely,

                                             Nancy A. LeaMond,

                                         Executive Vice President,
     State & National Group.

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