President Obama’s Medicare Proposals

President Obama’s Medicare Proposals

 I read a recent article from The New York Times  regarding President Obama’s Medicare proposals.  I found it a little shocking that Mr. Obama is planning to cut $248 billion from Medicare over the next decade.   I believe this will always be a highly sensitive issue due to the simple fact that Medicare affects our senior citizens… elderly people who generally are no longer working, with increased medical needs.   With his proposal, Obama would be raising deductibles and increasing the co-payment.  This will have an immediate financial impact on our senior population – where 3 out of 5 Americans are already outliving their retirement assets.  This doesn’t seem to be a very fair solution, especially when the article points out that this proposal would only trim about 4 percent from the 6.3 trillion dollars in Medicare spending over the next decade.  This article is relevant to me and all other teenagers because one day we will all need Medicare.  My mom will need this government benefit before I do.  I hope that I will be in a position to help my mom, because I don’t think that Medicare will be an affordable option for people who need care and prescription medicines.  If I were faced with a $100 co-payment… that would definitely keep me from visiting my doctor for regular check-ups.  And what about when I need these benefits – I wouldn’t want to have to turn for my children for help. I believe that President Obama and our Congress need to come up with a better proposal.  I also believe that this is something that needs to be addressed and should not continue to be put off.  I read that “White House officials decided to let the short-term struggle over the 2011 budget play itself out”.   (Wow!  That’s like a whole other blog.)  I decided to blog about this article because we have had this talk in school and discussed how people are affected by current Medicare programs and how this proposal may impact us and our families in the future