Medicare has been earned and is something well deserved. Under Obamacare, around $716 billion cut to the Medicare. By cutting this amount of money, 4 million people will lose the advantage of Medicare, which has become necessary in today’s society.
According to Health Affairs, most health insurance plans use approximately 25 percent of Medicare recipients. By cutting the funding to Medicare, there is a huge decrease in the amount of people who would be able to receive this benefit from private health insurance plans. Most hospitals will no longer accept Medicare patients because the current law will cut payment rates to hospitals. Also, a decrease in funding for hospitals would put financial stress on them, because they can’t function off of the reduced Medicare costs.
According to the article “Obamacare: Impact on Seniors” (by Robert Moffit, Ph.D), it’s not only the seniors that are skeptical about Obamacare. The law not only made it harder for seniors to get Medicare, but it also cut funds to the drug companies and hospitals. Like I stated before, hospitals can’t afford to provide service to seniors for a reduced cost and less help from insurance companies. For the next generation of senior citizens, finding a doctor will be more difficult and waiting times for doctor appointments are likely to be longer. The American Association of Medical Colleges projects a shortage of 124,000 doctors by 2025 if Medicare is cut.
Furthermore, the Medical Trustees Project states that the cuts will drive around four million seniors out of Medicare advantage plans by 2017. Four million people without Medicare assistance would lead to a total lack in coverage and debt would pile up for seniors. Without a steady income, how can anyone afford to pay the entire medical bill, especially in today’s economy? Seniors need access to Medicare so they can live their lives without worry of medical costs.
Seniors need more medical coverage as they age, and without a steady income, they can’t afford to lose their Medicare advantages. Obamacare was well intentioned, but the long-term effects are misaligned. Cuts to Medicare are destructive to a senior’s chance of getting medical assistance, and the ability to find a physician will become harder by the year. This law must be stopped, before it’s too late to assist our senior citizens with medical insurance.