Rep. Dingell: “We’re talking about unprecedented attacks on the very programs that millions of Americans depend on.”
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Defend America Action is releasing a new report, first published by political creator Jess Craven, highlighting how Trump-GOP policies have battered Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Last year’s Big, Ugly Bill cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid, the program that pays for 63 percent of nursing home care, while Medicare Part B premiums jumped nearly 10 percent. Meanwhile, the administration has pushed out more than 8,000 Social Security Administration workers, leaving the agency with fewer staff than at any point since 1967.
Defend America Action also hosted a press call this morning with Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Pennsylvania State Representative Arvind Venkat, MD, and Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Rich Fiesta to mark the anniversary of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security and discuss Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans’ assault on seniors’ care.
“We’re talking about unprecedented attacks on the very programs that millions of Americans depend on. Last year, President Trump and Republicans slashed more than a trillion dollars from Medicaid to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations,” said Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06). “They’re also hollowing out the Social Security Administration by eliminating thousands of workers, making it harder for seniors to get the benefits they’ve earned after they paid into the system for decades.”
“It’s so important to not only think about all of the millions of people who are now finding that their care may be in jeopardy, but that Medicaid and Medicare are lifelines to our nation’s healthcare system. Our hospitals in this nation are propped up by these two programs,” said former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “We should be working to strengthen these programs, working to make Medicare more affordable for our nation’s seniors.”
“I have practiced in this state when 20% of my patients did not have insurance. And unfortunately, because of the Big, Ugly Bill, we are headed in that direction again,” said Pennsylvania State Representative Arvind Venkat, MD. “It is estimated that 300,000 of my fellow Pennsylvanians are going to lose Medicaid coverage as a result of the Big, Ugly Bill. These are the senior citizens that I represent who are on fixed incomes, who are simply trying to have basic access to health care.”
“The Trump administration has continued just this week with its anti-affordability agenda. Just two days ago, it announced it is cutting subsidies for the Medicare Part D program for people who are directly enrolled,” said Alliance for Retired Americans Executive Director Rich Fiesta. “Seniors today are falling back. We hear it from our members every day: cutting pills, not running air conditioning as they should in warm climates, on and on.”
A recording of the press call is available here. Defend America Action’s new report on how the affordability crisis is harming older Americans is available here.
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