Archived Messages From the President
June 20th, 2016
Two documents were released today; the Social Security and Medicare trustees’ annual report and House Speaker Paul Ryan’s replacement for Obamacare. Both documents will have a direct impact on mature Americans.
The trustees’ report showed that the time when different programs of Social Security and Medicare become insolvent has shrunk. Not a huge amount but they are certainly moving in the wrong direction. RetireSafe has always said that if the government had been better stewards of the funds they collected from the vast majority of Americans we wouldn’t be in this predicament. We are also realists and recognize that we don’t want the impending benefit reductions that would come when the dates of insolvency for the various programs are reached. What we do know is that those that have reached, or are close to reaching, the eligibility age for these government programs should not be subject to increased costs or the loss of benefits. The government must keep the promise they made to these Americans when they took their money each month. We will watch closely any solutions that are put forth to shore up Social Security and Medicare.
Speaker Ryan’s replacement for Obamacare offered a refreshing change in focus from Obamacare. Rather than using unelected bureaucrats and mountains of regulations to dictate how our healthcare would be administered, he proposed a patient centered focus. While the details of the plan still need to be produced and reviewed the focus on choice and individual control were welcome. He proposed approaches that have been talked about for years; the ability to purchase insurance across state lines, the expansion of health savings accounts, the inclusion of language to guarantee portability of coverage. His plan would retain two aspects of Obamacare, the protection from pre-existing conditions if they moved insurance plans and covering qualifying children until they reach 26. Ryan’s plan also offered changes to Medicare to avoid the challenge discussed in today’s trustee report. While the devil is in the details, we applaud his willingness to tackle this critical problem with a plan that doesn’t rob from Medicare and eliminates bureaucrats from making decisions about our healthcare.
These two documents are important, one that shows the future if we don’t change anything and a plan that will hopefully change the focus of healthcare in America. RetireSafe will continue to monitor both of these issues and report how these and other proposals will impact mature Americans.