Happy 47th Anniversary Medicare!

Metro Justice and Band of Rebels organized a rally in celebration of the 47th anniversary of Medicare that was held at the Monroe County building in Rochester, NY.  Participants were not only celebrating Medicare's anniversary, but advocating for expansion of Medicare for all, handing out information to those interested on the  issue and bringing attention to the fact that Maggie Brooks who is running against Louise Slaughter for Congress refuses to state her position on medicare and the Ryan budget.

In 1912, Teddy Roosevelt, included healthcare in his platform when he ran for President.  Harry Truman tried to get Congress to create a national health insurance plan that would be open to all americans. John F. kennedy attempted to get a national health care plan for seniors, but was unsuccessful.  Not until Lyndon B. Johnson's administration was there the creation of a single payer health insurance program, although it was limited to the Americans over 65 years of age.  In 1972, Nixon expanded Medicare to cover those Americans with long term disabilities.  There have been other changes during the decades since Medicare was established, some strengthening the program, others moving in the direction of privatization.

Medicare and the government do not control the cost of the health care system in general and costs have skyrocketed.  Health care costs are controlled by providers, hospitals, health insurance corporations and pharmaceutical corporations.  With medicare covering the part of society that tends to have higher health care costs, more and more costs are being passed onto medicare recipients.  One of the arguments for medicare for all is that it would be a larger more diverse pool of recipients.  It is also argued that instead of money going to advertising and administration costs which happens in the current health care system, the money in medicare for all could be directed to patient care. With almost 50 million people uninsured in the U.S. and many more underinsured, would it not benefit the society as a whole to take the focus on profits out of health care and concentrate instead on quality healthcare for all?

One of the issues that is being discussed during the 2012 Presidential and Congressional campaigns is the proposed Paul Ryan budget.  Paul Ryan is a member of the House of Representatives from Wisconsin.  Under Ryan's proposed budget, medicare would cease to exist as we know it.  It would create a voucher program, pushing more and more of the costs onto beneficiaries.  The age of eligibility would increase from 65 to 67.  it would gradually undermine medicare by making the the pool of beneficiaries smaller, sicker, thus making it much more costly.  The Ryan budget would effect most people in a variety of ways other than just medicare, but in general would increase the wealth at the very, very top of society and lower the income more and more on the majority of people.  Creating a bigger divide between the super wealthy and everyone else.

Video of rally:

http://blip.tv/indy-tv/rochester-ny-celebrates-47th-anniversary-of-medic...

You can see information on these issues by going to the links below:

http://www.library.arizona.edu/exhibits/udall/congrept/89th/650331.htm

http://www.healthcare-now.org/category/resources

http://www.healthcare-now.org/takeaction/books-and-videos