Employed citizens must pay both Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes throughout their lives in order to receive Social Security and Medicare benefits at retirement. Currently, about 20% of Americans receive Social Security benefits with 40% of older Americans relying solely on them.
Medicaid is a joint federal and state program providing health care to citizens with limited income. It is the primary payer for long-term care in nursing homes covering bills for over 60% of residents.
Social Security and Medicare are earned benefits, not entitlements.
They and Medicaid are under threat from federal budget bills.The bills include tax breaks for the wealthy along with cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid programs to help pay for wealthy citizens’ tax cuts. The cost to taxpayers for those tax cuts is estimated to be $4.5 trillion over 10 years.
Politics aside, it is unethical to give tax cuts to the richest 5% of Americans and to cut the
earned, essential benefits of the rest of American citizens and saddle the country with huge debt.
If you care about protecting your earned benefits and/or Medicaid, or don’t support paying for tax cuts to the richest 5% of American citizens, it is critical to contact Alaska’s Representative Nicholas Begich and Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan as soon as possible.
Ask them to vote against these cuts. The bills are expected to be voted on by March 14. Tax cuts for the rich have never stimulated the economy.
Katey Palmer