Our former managing editor Susie Madrak has a big warning over at Huffington Post for us all. As we all focus on Medicare cuts, let's not ignore what Republicans are planning for Medicaid with Dear Leader at the helm.
If you haven’t yet taken care of a dying parent, you probably don’t understand that Medicaid is the program that prevents Granny (yes, your granny) from dying on your couch. “We’re not poor, we always paid our own way. What on earth are you talking about?” I’m talking about (again) Granny dying on your couch.
“About 60 percent of the costs of traditional Medicaid come from providing nursing home care and other types of care for the elderly and those with disabilities,” wrote Gene Sperling in a recent op-ed for the New York Times. (He was director of the National Economic Council under Obama.)
Yes, Medicaid is the insurer of last resort when Granny outlives her savings, her investments, and the equity in her home. It is the program that allows her to live out her final days with some modicum of dignity — and painkillers, if she has a vicious cancer that leaves her in agony.
If they decide to block-grant Medicaid, those of us in the Baby Boomer generation will be well and truly out of luck when it comes time for us to die, because once the block grant runs out, well...head for your kids' couch and hope you or your loved ones die quickly.
You can always turn up the TV if she starts to scream.
Republicans are planning a rapid surgical strike on these programs right after the new Congress is sworn in. With majorities in both houses, they're planning to ram through serious cuts to the safety net right away, while Trump tries to spend political capital he doesn't have.
Susie has an action item:
And call your Congress member. Tell them you are 100% against cutting Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. They can only get away with this if you let them.
