RyanCare would affect more people in real, negative terms than the Affordable Care Act will help people, yet more people were more upset over imagined fears about our plan than Ryan's. I just don't get it.
RyanCare, as we all know, would begin to impact elderly Americans ten years from now. But the truth is, RyanCare's changes to Medicare are not restricted to the elderly.
What many forget about Medicare is that eligibility for benefits can begin sooner than Age 65 if you become disabled under the definitions of the Social Security Act and have received Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for approximately two years.
In my day job, we approve a number of mineworkers for retiree benefits earlier than our Plan's normal retirement age because they receive SSDI and/or Medicare. It's heartbreaking to read what many blue-collar workers go through in the coal industry in Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Alabama. Even the slightest injuries can have long-term impact, particularly because coal mining can be one of the only jobs available in the area.
The idea that we are going to start demanding that our elderly and disabled Americans fend for themselves and seek our their own insurance policies rather than relying on the power and guarantee of the federal government's long-standing committment to them is just insane.
These are among our most vulnerable of adults, who have paid their dues, and in many cases have literally broken their backs for this country's economy.
We should not turn our backs on our seniors and the disabled just so Paul Ryan and his corporate sponsors can continue collecting tax breaks they don't need and don't deserve.
Our parents and grandparents worked their whole lives for us. It's time we stand up for them, and fight RyanCare with everything we've got.