Political Quotes

“Yesterday afternoon, Bloomberg News released an analysis, district by district around America, of the highest concentration of 45- to 54-year-olds. The reason they did this analysis was to see and focus on where the impact of the Republican Medicare plan would land the hardest. In the top 10 districts which they identified, the headline of this article, which obviously is Bloomberg News, a nonpartisan news service, was: Medicare Cuts Would Hit Republican Lawmakers. Nine out of the top 10 districts in America with that highest 45 to 54 concentration are Republican districts. The 10th is the Second Congressional District, which I have the honor of representing in eastern Connecticut. Now, some may ask why was Bloomberg looking at the population of 45- to 54-year-olds? Well, the Ryan Medicare plan radically alters the Medicare program, starting in 2022, for people who today are 54 years old or younger. Starting with that age group, Medicare will no longer be a guaranteed benefit, but instead will be a voucher plan where Americans will be given an $8,000 payment and told, Good luck. Go out and buy insurance. The Congressional Budget Office has already analyzed what that means to someone aged 54 today in terms of out-of-pocket costs. In fact, it would double the out-of-pocket costs for those 54 and below, in year one, who enroll in the Medicare program.…”