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Will Representative Cory Gardner Oppose a Controversial Plan to Raise Health Care Costs for Americans Age 54 and Under?

 

A report yesterday by the Associated Press confirmed that Representative Cory Gardner (CO-04) faces a highly controversial plan this week to dramatically increase health care costs for Americans age 54 and under. According to the independent Congressional Budget Office, under Republican Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan, seniors on Medicare would pay $12,510 per year, making them responsible for more than two thirds of the cost of their coverage, while it would not repeal tax subsidies for Big Oil companies making record profits.

Will Representative Cory Gardner (CO-04) commit to voting against this dangerous, partisan plan to end Medicare as we know it?

“It’s time for Representative Cory Gardner to take a stand against this controversial and costly proposed Republican Budget that will significantly raise health care costs for Americans age 54 and under,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “House Republicans are moving full speed ahead to increase health care costs for Colorado families while protecting taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil companies making record profits. Representative Cory Gardner has to decide if he is going to fight for middle class families in Colorado or just be a lackey for Republican party bosses in Washington.”

Background

Republicans’ spending plan would force “people now 54 and younger” to “pay the price.” “Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., says his approach would ‘save’ Medicare by keeping the financially troubled program affordable for federal taxpayers. But it turns out that people now 54 and younger would pay the price.”

“By one authoritative estimate, they’d be on the hook for most of their own health care costs after they become eligible for Medicare as retirees. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the typical beneficiary would be expected to pay more than two-thirds of his or her medical costs by the year 2030. Costs wouldn’t come down; they’d just get shifted.” [AP <http://www.theindychannel.com/health/27499332/detail.html> , 4/11/11]

NCPSSM: Plan would force Americans to foot the bill, make them vulnerable to the whims of the private marketplace. In April 2011, Max Richtman, executive vice-president of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, told an audience that Ryan’s 2012 budget plan “forces millions of American seniors to help foot the bill for a budget plan that puts the needs of middle-class Americans far below preserving tax cuts for corporations and wealthy Americans. […] The Ryan plan would replace the current Medicare program with vouchers and leave seniors and the disabled – some of our most vulnerable Americans – hostage to the whims of the private marketplace,” Richtman said. [NCPSSM press release <http://www.ncpssm.org/news/archive/gop_budget_plan/ [1]> , 4/5/11]

AARP: Budget Undermines Vital Programs for Older Americans. “Among its provisions, the proposal would drive up costs for people in Medicare, take away needed coverage for long-term care from millions of older and disabled Americans and reduce critical help for seniors facing the threat of hunger.” [AARP press release <http://www.enewspf.com/opinion/23335-aarp-letter-to-lawmakers-budget-proposal-undermines-vital-programs-for-older-americans.html [2]> , 4/7/11]

House Republican Budget Dismantles Medicare. The budget proposal released yesterday would dramatically change Medicare by turning it into a voucher based system and direct Medicare funds to private insurance companies instead of consumers. [House Republican Budget <http://budget.house.gov/fy2012budget/ [3]> , 4/5/11]

End Medicare. “The plan would essentially end Medicare, which now pays most of the health-care bills for 48 million elderly and disabled Americans, as a program that directly pays those bills.” [Wall Street Journal <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703806304576240751124518520.html [4]> , 4/4/11]

GOP Budget Would Almost Double Healthcare Costs For Seniors. “The Republican congressman’s proposal to privatize Medicare would mean a dramatic hike in U.S. healthcare costs for the elderly, an independent analysis finds. Seniors would pay almost double — more than $12,510 a year.” [LA Times <http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/07/nation/la-na-gop-budget-20110408 [5]> , 4/7/11]