This plundering of America's Health Care, shaky as it is, does nothing
to undermine "Health Care for the Wealthy". This is not a
Republican/Democrat struggle. This is a, "We got ours secure and now
we'll get yours, too".
Good health has always been ready to serve those who can afford it.
The best doctors and the best medical centers, and the best followup
services have always been there for our Rich. Those services such as
Medicaid and Obamacare and the Veterans Affairs that serve the Working
Class families do not serve the Rich. That money being spent on such
programs for the majority of Americans is money that might be claimed
by the Wealthy.
One fine day the last straw will be placed upon the Camel's back, and
the Wonderful Make Believe World of the Very Rich will fall like a
house of cards. Sadly, it will fall on all heads, poor as well as
wealthy.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/25/17, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Truthdig
The Secret Republican Plan to Unravel Medicaid
http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_secret_republican_plan_to_unravel_me
dicaid_20170624/
Posted on Jun 24, 2017
By Robert Reich / RobertReich.org
(http://robertreich.org/post/162168911075)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell speaking in 2014. (Gage Skidmore /
CC 2.0 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/12987751735/) )
Bad enough that the Republican Senate bill would repeal much of the
Affordable Care Act.
Even worse, it unravels the Medicaid Act of 1965 - which, even before
Obamacare, provided health insurance to millions of poor households and
elderly.
It's done with a sleight-of-hand intended to elude not only the public but
also the Congressional Budget Office.
Here's how the Senate Republican bill does it. The bill sets a per-person
cap on Medicaid spending in each state. That cap looks innocent enough
because it rises every year with inflation.
But there's a catch. Starting 8 years from now, in 2025, the Senate bill
switches its measure of inflation - from how rapidly medical costs are
rising, to how rapidly overall costs in the economy are rising.
Yet medical costs are rising faster than overall costs. They'll almost
surely continue to do so - as America's elderly population grows, and as
new
medical devices, technologies, and drugs prolong life.
Which means that after 2025, Medicaid will cover less and less of the costs
of health care for the poor and elderly.
Over time, that gap becomes huge. The nonpartisan Urban Institute estimates
that just between 2025 and 2035, about $467 billion less will be spent on
Medicaid than would be spent than if Medicaid funding were to keep up with
the expected rise in medical costs.
So millions of Americans will lose the Medicaid coverage they would have
received under the 1965 Medicaid act. Over the long term, Medicaid will
unravel.
Will anyone in future years know Medicaid's unraveling began with this
Senate Republican bill ostensibly designed to repeal and replace the
Affordable Care Act? Probably not. The unraveling will occur gradually.
Will future voters hold Republicans responsible? Again, unlikely. The
effects of the unraveling won't become noticeable until most current
Republican senators are long past reelection.
Does anyone now know this time bomb is buried in this bill?
It doesn't seem so. McConnell won't even hold hearings on it.
Next week the Congressional Budget Office will publish its analysis of the
bill. CBO reports on major bills like this are widely disseminated in the
media. The CBO's belated conclusion that the House's bill to repeal and
replace the Affordable Care Act would cause 23 million Americans to lose
their health care prompted even Donald Trump to call it "mean, mean, mean."
But because the CBO's estimates of the consequences of bills are typically
limited to 10 years (in this case, 2018 to 2028), the CBO's analysis of the
Senate Republican bill will dramatically underestimate how many people will
be knocked off Medicaid over the long term.
Which is exactly what Mitch McConnell has planned. This way, the public
won't be tipped off to the Medicaid unraveling hidden inside the bill.
For years, Republicans have been looking for ways to undermine America's
three core social insurance programs - Medicaid, Medicare, and Social
Security. The three constitute the major legacies of the Democrats, of
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. All continue to be immensely
popular.
Now, McConnell and his Senate Republican colleagues think they've found a
way to unravel Medicaid without anyone noticing.
Don't be fooled. Spread the word.
Five GOP Senators Now Oppose the Health Care Bill as Written
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Democrat, Shelves State's
Single-Payer Bill
At Least Seven States Have Prison Inmates Working in Governors' Mansions
and Capitol Buildings
Chris Hedges and Christian Parenti on the Deep-Reaching Ramifications of
Climate Change (Video)
Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines
C 2017 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.
Signup for Truthdig's newsletter
gumgum-verify
Sponsored Content
All The Info You Need On The 2017 Acura MDX
Get in-depth expert information for the 2017 Acura MDX, including reviews,
pricing, features and photos on KBB.com. [KBB.com/Acura]
Learn More
ExelateData
