Once again, Republicans in Congress—this time the Senators—pulled their evil medical care bill, the so-called Better Care Reconciliation Act. They did not bring it up for a vote as at least three Republican Senators would not vote to considerate the bill.
Don’t celebrate just yet. As happened in the House of Representatives, the greatest hold up is conservative members of the Senate who feel the bill does not go far enough in its meanness.
If they come back again and the bill passes it will undoubtedly be worse than it is now to satisfy those right-wing members.
Who benefits? It’s all about the tax cuts, almost half of which will go to people with incomes over $1 million, the bulk of it to people with incomes over 200K.
So, is this bill good for you? Yes, if you meet the following criteria:
- Your income is more than $200,000 a year
- You have a job that comes with good health insurance
- You can’t imagine any circumstances under which you lose that job or income
- You don’t have any family members or friends who don’t meet those criteria
- You have zero empathy for anyone else
- If you ever use a nursing home or in-home services
This bill is Robin Hood in reverse—robbing the poor and giving money to the wealthy. Medicaid is being cut up to $800 million to pay for tax cuts for the rich.
The Senate’s plan is actually crueller than the House bill because it affects people who are now enrolled in the Medicaid expansion, not just those who would become eligible in the future. In other words, people will be kicked off Medicaid right away. Further, it will increase the number of individuals who will die each year because they do not have medical care insurance by at least 10,000.
Medicaid is a crucial factor in American life. Currently, nearly one in five Americans, 74 million people, are on Medicaid. Federal law now guarantees Medicaid coverage to pregnant women, children, elderly and disabled people under certain income levels. It covers more than a third of the nation’s children and pays for half of all births.
If you are middle class, you may need Medicaid in the future, as it covers almost two-thirds of nursing home residents, including many who are middle class and spent all their savings on care before becoming eligible. Many people enter nursing homes having lived middle-class lives; however, nursing homes are expensive, and when their savings are gone because of payments to the nursing home, former middle-class individuals are put on Medicaid. Forty-two (42) percent of all Medicaid spending is in long-term care (nursing homes) and support services (in-home care). Both Republican plans—in the House and in the Senate—will cut Medicaid and stop funding hundreds of thousands of nursing home residents.
This is not just an attack on poor people. It is an attack on non-rich people, which means most of us. It is unvarnished class warfare.