Is Medicare in Big Trouble?
But what's often overlooked is that Medicare has even more immediate issues. Medicare, which primarily helps pay for some qualified later-in-life medical costs for seniors ages 65 and up, is also on an unsustainable course. In fact, three simple charts can unequivocally demonstrate that Medicare is in big trouble.
Should Medicare mean-test for eligibility?
As a reminder, Medicare traditionally covers 80% of eligible costs with the beneficiary picking up the remainder of the expenses with no out-of-pocket annual limit. With Medicare means-testing in place, wealthier individuals could be called upon to pay more.
How far away is Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund from crisis?
This chart from the latest annual report of the Board of Trustees for the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Funds shows that Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is 14 years away from major issues.
What was the last major program inspired by the New Deal?
Medicare and Medicaid, which became law in 1965, were the last major programs inspired by the New Deal. Since then, America has turned against welfare in favor of another, different tool of social management: prison.
What is the Republican effort to ensure a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for a generation?
Republicans’ efforts to ensure a conservative majority on the Supreme Court for a generation, like state-level efforts to suppress the vote of people of color and gerrymander districts to dilute their electoral clout, are a clear expression of white fear.
When did Nixon declare war on drugs?
In 1971 he declared a corollary war on drugs. Race was at the heart of Nixon’s vision. “You have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks,” he declared in 1969, according to notes in the diary of his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman.
Will minorities be the majority in the 2040s?
By the early 2040s, minorities will account for the majority of the population. They could build the common bond that the American experience has lacked for so long. I’m not optimistic, however. The demographic determinism is problematic.