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Republicans Are Planning to Totally Privatize Medicare -- And Fast (www.rollingstone.com)

submitted 5 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

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The right-wing policy agenda written for a new Donald Trump presidency would “greatly accelerate” efforts to privatize Medicare

Last year, for the first time ever, a majority of Americans eligible for Medicare were on privatized Medicare Advantage plans. If Republicans win the presidential race this year, the push to fully privatize Medicare, the government health insurance program for seniors and people with disabilities, will only intensify.

Conservative operatives have already sketched out what the GOP’s policy agenda would look like in the early days of a new Donald Trump presidency. As Rolling Stone has detailed, the proposed Project 2025 agenda is radically right-wing. One item buried in the 887-page blueprint has attracted little attention thus far, but would have a monumental impact on the health of America’s seniors and the future of one of America’s most popular social programs: a call to “make Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option” for people who are newly eligible for Medicare.

Such a policy would hasten the end of the traditional Medicare program, as well as its foundational premise: that seniors can go to any doctor or provider they choose. The change would be a boon for private health insurers — which generate massive profits and growing portions of their revenues from Medicare Advantage plans — and further consolidate corporate control over the United States health care system.

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 33 points 5 months ago

Well... looks like a lot more people are going to be working until their 80s so they'll have health insurance.

[-] IHeartBadCode@kbin.social 30 points 5 months ago

See that’s actually all wrong. We’re going to need fewer people working with increasing automation. We’re just going to have an “unfortunate” situation where people who cannot work ALSO cannot afford to stay alive.

We’ll have 80 year olds that just die and gosh if there was only something we could of done to save them. Tots and pears.

[-] peopleproblems@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago

We could use them as a cheap source of aquarium gravel?

[-] TokenBoomer@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Not when all the fish are dead.

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

They will be "working" as Walmart greeters amongst other demeaning jobs.

this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2024

507 points (98.8% liked)

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