There are actually many reasons why politics is important (as aggravating as politics may be) but the political battle over the future of Medicare that is going on right now is certainly one of the most important reasons, especially when it comes to your health and the health of your family.
Earlier this year the new Republican majority in the House overwhelmingly voted to end Medicare as we know it. This is not an overstatement or an exaggeration in any way. If it were not for a Democratic Senate (and of course President Obama in the White House) to keep it from becoming law we may have very well lost the Medicare system that so many Americans have come to count on.
Hopefully the importance of this is starting to dawn on you. If the Republicans also gain control of the Senate (and they are only a couple of seats away from doing so) and the White House they could easily make their plan of privatizing Medicare become law.
Remember in 2005 President George W. Bush and the rest of the Republicans tried to privatize Social Security – not long before the Bush Recession of 2008! Luckily for average Americans; Bush failed to make this Wall Street fantasy a reality.
But next time, when it comes to Medicare privatization, we may not be so lucky. This is why it’s important to get informed & involved in politics; at the very least it’s absolutely essential to vote (quite obviously against the Republican Party – for the Democratic Party by default.)
This Republican plan to phase out Medicare was a part of a bigger budget plan from Republican congressman Paul Ryan. 235 House Republicans voted for this budget (only 5 voted against it.) Zero Democrats voted for this.
It’s important to note that this terrible plan is entirely the work of the Republican Party because sometimes you hear the claim that there’s “no difference between the parties.” That is nonsense! There are very real differences, differences so big that they could literally mean life or death for you or a member of your family one day. I know some will claim that is being over-dramatic. But it’s really not.
The difference between a senior citizen having health care they can count on and not having it is very often the difference between life & death.
What Does The Paul Ryan/GOP Budget Do
- Phases out Medicare as we know it. It would still be called “Medicare” but this would be in name only. The program itself would be entirely different. Instead of guaranteed health care for seniors; the government would provide subsidies for seniors to buy private health insurance. The most obvious problem with this is that the amount of the subsidy to be provided is insufficient. Most seniors would thousands more per year for health care under the Ryan plan (and they would have to deal with blood sucking private insurance companies instead of having the Medicare plan so many people are used to counting on.)
- Significant cuts to Medicaid. One in six Americans is now on Medicaid so this would have terrible consequences on many (including millions of American children.)
- Even more tax cuts for the rich. The Bush tax cuts for the rich cut the top tax bracket from 39.6% to 35%. This has been an obvious economic disaster and it is one of the biggest reasons our country went from having a budget surplus during the Clinton years to a huge deficit during the Bush years. The current Paul Ryan/GOP plan doubles down on this disaster cutting taxes on the rich even further pushing the top tax bracket all the way down to 25%.
- Takes away tax deductions, tax exemptions, and tax credits that currently benefit the poor & middle class. While tax rates on the wealthy would go down significantly under the Ryan/GOP plan; tax rates on 90% of Americans would actually go up.
The Republican Party’s budget phases out Medicare, cuts Medicaid, and cuts taxes on the rich – all while raising taxes on most average Americans. The GOP is going forward with this “Robin Hood in reverse” plan despite the fact that the gap between the rich & the poor (the haves & the have-nots) is already at record levels.
Politics matter. Voting matters. If you care about the future of your health (and the health of your friends & family) then you must vote against the Republican Party. This is not meant to be a suggestion that the Democratic Party is perfect (far from it) but the Democrats are the only reasonable choice at this point because the GOP has gone so far to the right that they represent a very real danger to the future of the middle class (and obviously the poor) in the US.
