On Thursday, the Ohio Alliance participated in a “Don’t Make Us Work ‘Til We Die” demonstration and news conference targeted at Representatives Patrick Tiberi and Steve Stivers as they return to Congress after voting for the Ryan Budget plan. Demonstrators ranged from under one-year-old to their late sixties. HCAN partner Ohio Communities United, and Progress Ohio helped to bring Ohioans together for this cause.
OARA President David Friesner said, “We are here today to challenge Congressmen Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers for voting to make older Americans work until we die. The House budget plan proposes harmful actions to America’s productive workers now and in the future. We think that is wrong.
“Without Medicare Most Older Ohioans would Have No Health Insurance. The House budget plan, supported by Congressmen Tiberi and Stivers, does away with traditional Medicare and instead gives retirees and seniors vouchers for a fixed-dollar amount to buy health coverage on their own. Who can afford an individual private plan now with pre-existing conditions? Our children and grandchildren certainly will not have the savings to cover the ever-rising premiums the House budget proposes.”
Bruce Bostick, USW retiree and OARA activist pointed out the irony involved in Tiberi and Stivers’ votes to decimate Medicare while preserving tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and largest multinational corporations. He said, “This week marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of the Bush Tax Cuts, which have added $2.6 trillion to the public debt. Rather than eliminating these tax cuts, which mostly went to people making more than $645,000 a year the Republican budget aims to achieve $4.5 trillion in savings by cutting services and programs that primarily benefit the middle class. Of that amount, $4.2 trillion, is used to fund more tax cuts to the richest individuals and companies rather than actual deficit reduction.”
Some questions raised for Congressman Tiberi on the Medicare and Medicaid related to the Ryan Budget passed by the House:
- Medicare’s administrative costs are a mere 3%, while private insurance companies spend between 15% and 20% on administrative costs. In light of this, would you support turning Medicare over to private insurance companies?
- Under the House-passed Ryan Budget, Medicare would slowly be privatized and the average senior would be left with annual out-of-pocket costs of $20,700 by 2030 to cover their health insurance. Do you support ending Medicare as we know it and replacing it with a privatized voucher program that shifts costs on to the backs of seniors?
- Medicaid pays for 62% of all long-term care services in the U.S., including nursing home and in-home care, for millions of elderly and people with diabilities. The House-passed Ryan Budget, which block grants Medicaid, would force Medicaid programs to drop coverage for millions of vulnerable seniors and dramatically increase costs for those still covered. Would you support a proposal that block grants Medicaid knowing that it would leave so many seniors out in the cold?
