The National Council on Aging praised the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging for holding a hearing on gains in senior income security since President Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty in the 1960s but emphasized that the job is far from over.

"Medicare and Social Security have brought millions of older Americans out of poverty," said Howard Bedlin, vice president for public policy and advocacy at the National Council on Aging. "Yet today, one in three older adults over age 60—more than 23 million seniors—still lives with economic insecurity."

He pointed out that low-income seniors depend on these programs to help them pay for growing out-of-pocket health care costs. The Council is worried that the Medicare Qualified Individual Program will expire on March 31 unless Congress acts. QI pays Medicare Part B premiums for beneficiaries with incomes of $13,700-$15,500 per year. If it expires, these seniors could be forced to drop the Part B benefit and lose access to their doctors or pay over $1,200 in new, additional premiums.