He has harmed seniors, and he should not joke. What Michelle thinks of him is NOT all that matters.
From Elder Law: The debt limit deal will affect seniors.The agreement calls for two stages of spending reductions. In the first stage, which will pare $917 billion from the budget, "entitlement" programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid are spared. Instead, the cuts are evenly divided between defense and non-defense "discretionary" programs. Some aging and poverty programs that the elderly rely on, such as heating assistance, could be hit with budget reductions, but so will defense programs.
In the second stage, a 12-member Congressional committee - six members from each party -- must agree on an additional $1.5 trillion in cuts by Thanksgiving, and Congress must vote on their proposal (with no modifications) by December 23. Here, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will all be back on the table. In the case of Medicare, the powerful panel will be looking at changes like raising the eligibility age, increasing premiums for wealthy recipients, hiking deductibles and co-pays, and slashing payments to providers and drug companies.
To cut Medicaid, this joint committee will consider giving states more flexibility to reduce eligibility and benefits, meaning that it might become even tougher for elderly nursing home residents to qualify for Medicaid. The committee will also be looking at cutting payments to nursing homes, which just got hit with a more than 11 percent reduction. Nursing home residents could feel the impact in the form of reduced services and compromised care.
For Social Security, one thing the panel will undoubtedly consider changing is how the program's cost of living increase is calculated, which will result in lower benefits. Pushing back the eligibility age for future retirees could also be on the table.
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