CrossRoadsNews - It's time to Protect Seniors, Not Gut the Safety Net

Press Release

It's been more than 175 days since the GOP took control of the House, and the only jobs bills to come to the floor this Congress have been Democratic proposals -- the GOP voted no on every one of course.

The middle class is hurting, yet the Republicans' only answer is to end Medicare and continue to give huge tax breaks Big Oil companies and millionaires.

While Democrats continue to promote and pursue the "Make It in America" agenda -- which I'm proud to say, contains one of my bills -- to create jobs and help our economy recover, the Republicans' focus is a near myopic charge to gut Medicare.

Under the Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) budget plan, Republicans want to cut Medicare by $165 billion a year all while giving Big Oil and millionaires $131 billion in tax breaks -- every year.

On the 45th anniversary of Medicare, let's take a closer look at what Republicans budget would do to the program in our district -- a program that has helped lift many of our seniors out of poverty and ensured virtually all Americans 65 and older have health care coverage.

The GOP Medicare plan harms both current Medicare beneficiaries in the district as well as all the residents of the district under age 55.

First, for those currently enrolled in Medicare, the GOP plan would immediately cut benefits -- including reopening the prescription drug "donut hole," eliminating the free annual wellness visit, and eliminating other free preventive care benefits.

Secondly, for those now under age 55, the GOP plan ends Medicare and replaces it with providing seniors vouchers to go out and buy private insurance.

Impact on beneficiaries

The Republican plan would have damaging impacts on 65,000 seniors and disabled individuals in the 4th District who are currently enrolled in Medicare.

It would:

- Increase prescription drug costs for 4,700 current Medicare beneficiaries in the district who enter the prescription drug donut hole, forcing them to pay an extra $46 million for drugs over the next decade. (The GOP plan reopens the prescription drug donut hole.)

- Eliminate new free preventive care benefits for 65,000 current Medicare beneficiaries in the district.

The Republican plan would have even greater damaging impacts on the 580,000 individuals in the district age 54 and younger who are not currently in Medicare.

It would:

- Increase out-of-pocket health care costs for the typical senior by more than $6,000 a year.

- Require seniors, by 2030, to be paying 68 percent of their health care costs, with vouchers covering only 32 percent.

- Put seniors at the mercy of private insurance companies.

- No longer guarantee seniors the same level of benefits and choice of doctor they have today under Medicare.

- Raise the Medicare eligibility age by at least one year to age 66 for 63,000 people in the district who are age 44 to 49, and by two years to age 67 for 470,000 people in the district who are age 43 or younger. (The GOP plan phases in an increase in the age at which seniors are eligible for the new voucher program that replaces Medicare from 65 to 67, beginning in 2022.)

There is no doubt that America's mounting public debt must be addressed. But fiscal responsibility requires fair reductions in spending, forward-thinking investment in economic growth and tax increases on millionaires, billionaires and Big Oil -- not simply Draconian cuts to social programs. We cannot -- like a petulant child -- abandon the social safety net for our seniors by simply walking away from our commitments to their health and well being.

U.S. Rep. Henry "Hank" Johnson represents the 4th Congressional District that includes DeKalb and portions of Rockdale and Gwinnett counties.

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