During last fall’s presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump made it very clear that he would protect Medicare and Social Security. Older voters are counting on Congress to support President Trump’s vow. This issue is approaching because some in Congress are pushing for a drastic change in Medicare that threatens to increase costs and risks for those who depend on it.
Proposals to create a voucher system, sometimes called premium support, could drive up costs that the more than 75,000 Alaskan residents who are now enrolled in Medicare have to pay out of their own pockets. And the pain will spread, as another 143,100 of Alaskans between the ages of 50 and 64 today will transition into Medicare over the next 15 years.
Americans have earned their Medicare benefits by paying taxes throughout their working lives. As our new president declared during the campaign, “You made a deal a long time ago.” That deal does not include cutting benefits and pushing up health care bills at a time in life when people can least afford it.
For more than half a century, Medicare has delivered on its promise, bringing health care to seniors who were once shut out of the system. Yes, health care costs must be contained — but in a fair and responsible way, not by harming hard-working Americans and retirees. President Trump understands this vital principle and we urge him to remind those in Congress who do not.
Sincerely,
Terry Snyder
AARP Alaska (Volunteer) State President
Palmer
