The Republican majority House passed their controversial budget for 2012. The budget calls for reduction in social programs for the poor and elderly. Medicare and Medicaid would be changed from a benefit program to a voucher program which would cause senior and the indigent to pay for their own health insurance with costs being offset by vouchers. Democrats are opposed to the plan sating it would cost seniors over $6,000 more a year for their healthcare.
The changes to Medicare wouldn’t affect people currently receiving benefits, it would however change the benefits for people under 55 who have yet to benefit for the program. It is unlikely that the Republican budget will get passed by the Democratic controlled Senate.
Those who will need Medicare in the future are the ones most affected by the Republican budget as they will be expected to pay for their own healthcare when they reach retirement age. Insurance premiums will likely be so high by the time they get older that they will need bankruptcy attorneys to relive their growing medical debt.
Close to half of the bankruptcy filings are attributed to people who have serious medical problems and hired bankruptcy lawyers because they could no longer pay their bills even with medical insurance. The older a person gets the higher their premiums rise and so does their healthcare. Without the safety net of Medicare our nation’s seniors may be headed to court with their bankruptcy lawyers in larger numbers.
