– Joint statement from the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the Medicare Rights Center –
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 16, 2017
Contact:
Center for Medicare Advocacy – Matt Shepard: 860-456-7790, mshepard@MedicareAdvocacy.org
Medicare Rights Center – Mitchell Clark: 212-204-6286, mclark@medicarerights.org
Washington, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed a catastrophic, rushed and partisan tax bill with no public input, no hearings, and no time to understand its full ramifications. This bill is the beginning of a vicious two-step process: 1) Cut taxes for corporations and the rich, adding $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade; and 2) Use that higher deficit to justify drastic cuts to bedrock programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Now all eyes turn to the Senate, where the proposed bill is even worse. We continue to urge Senators to slow down and return to the regular order of a deliberative and transparent process. Responsible tax reform would not raise deficits, cut health care coverage, and lead to other Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security cuts – as the current bills do. We urge Senators to work together to protect all families with an equitable tax plan. All Americans, including older adults and people with disabilities, need to be considered and protected from health and financial insecurity.
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The Center for Medicare Advocacy (https://www.medicareadvocacy.org) is a national, nonprofit, non-partisan law organization that works to advance access to comprehensive Medicare coverage and quality health care for older people and people with disabilities through legal analysis, education, and advocacy.
The Medicare Rights Center (www.medicarerights.org) is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs, and public policy initiatives.