In 2015 there were 53.8
Million Americans on Medicare (seniors + disabled) The numbers are even higher
in 2016. Trump was committed to not cutting this plan. Getting rid of Medicare
was always on Paul Ryan and many of the Republicans radar. However, several Republicans
in Congress are opposed to switching Medicare from its current form to a
Privatized system. Seniors that go from a single-payer health insurance to
having to shop on a free market for medical insurance is risky. Aging seniors
and disabled persons unable to work may lack the abilities to gather the
necessary information or cognitively decipher complicated health insurance
options from various companies.
A universal healthcare
plan was put in place Medicare, 1965, to help address this issue and because
many were flat out not able to obtain insurance. At the time, only 1 out of 4
had even adequate hospital insurance for a demographic group that prone to
heart attacks. Face it: insurance companies DO NOT want elderly people on their
policies or sick/disabled people either. They want to make money! They can
either refuse them coverage or make the rates sky high. Medicare helped
regulate those rates.
Medicare helps the most
vulnerable, elderly, disabled & those on fixed incomes at the tail end of
their life. These are the people who are
over 65 and worked their entire life. This program is also for future
generations when they age. The notion
that Medicare is going broke due to Obamacare is false. The ACA extended the
solvency of the Medicare trust fund by over a decade. Medicare has been better
able to control medical costs than private plans because it negotiates its
massive leverage of users to keep the costs down. That is partly why the
program works. Medicare is separate from Obamacare though people want to throw
it in the same basket. When Obamacare was written there were mentions of
Medicare, including preexisting conditions not being allowed to be excluded, which
is why Paul Ryan is now using the opportunity to say Medicare must go also as
if it is part of Obamacare.
It is important to know
that those who have worked most of their lives or until they became disabled
have paid into Medicare with each paycheck. There are deductions on each
paycheck for Medicare. This is not a benefit that is a totally a free hand-out no
American has ever worked for or given anything towards. Revenue is continually
generated for Medicare for now and for future generations to care for elderly
health needs. The fallout from a healthcare program like Obamacare that
Republicans want revamped should not be removing a program that is working.
Also, having a voucher given to a senior accomplishes nothing when insurers set
rates 5-6x higher than normal because of the aging population having a greater propensity
of health issues. Fixed income for the poorest demographics of the country can’t
make these types of premiums, copays and medications and then live. Let’s not
forget, this is the population that has the highest rate of health issues. Many will be without insurance if Medicare is
privatized. God bless.
