Polk County Democratic Party Weekly Digest: July 31 - August 6, 2023

Tomorrow, Jul. 30 marks the 58th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid. In response, the Florida Democratic Party has issued the following statement:

“For 58 years, Medicare and Medicaid have been helping Americans get the health care they need,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried, “but the future of these lifesaving programs are on the line in 2024. Since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office two years ago, they’ve fought tirelessly to bring down health care costs for Floridians — strengthening Medicare, capping the cost of prescription drugs, expanding access to Medicaid, and lowering health care premiums for Americans across the country. 

“In April, nearly a million Floridians lost Medicaid coverage after the Florida Republican legislature refused to expand it. As Rick Scott and Republicans continue to wage war on health care, repeal life-saving provisions and side with Big Pharma, it is critical that we re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris to safeguard Medicare and Medicaid for generations to come.”


FLORIDA FACTS

● Nearly 1 million — or 1 in 22 people — lost Medicaid coverage in April after the Florida Legislature refused to expand it.

● Florida is one of only 11 states not to expand Medicaid.

● Federal funding is available to states that expand eligibility to more families and adults.

● More than 5.6 million Floridians receive Medicaid, or about a quarter of the state’s population — a large share of them children in poverty.

● Florida’s Medicaid program currently covers children ages 5 and younger in households that make $33,408 or less and older children whose parents make up to $31,795.

● These programs have served as a critical lifeline for so many seniors, families, women, children, people with disabilities, and Americans at all stages of life.

● In the decades since, Democrats have continued to fight for more affordable and accessible health care.

● President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats took on Big Pharma to bring down health care costs for working families across the country, including:

• Passing legislation to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. 
• Lowering prescription drug costs with a $35 monthly cap on insulin for seniors, a $2,000 yearly cap on out-of-pocket drug costs, and free vaccines. 
• Cracking down on junk insurance plans. 
• Taking steps to protect consumers from unfair medical debt.

● 1 in 3 Medicare beneficiaries – nearly 19 million people – are projected to save $400 per year on prescription drugs when the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act goes into effect in 2025. That’s a lifesaving difference for so many families across the country.

● MAGA Republicans are threatening to repeal these cost saving provisions and undo all the progress we’ve made.

• Donald Trump proposed cuts to Medicare and Social Security programs every single year he was in office and has repeatedly attacked the Inflation Reduction Act as a “tax hike.”
• As a member of Congress, Ron DeSantis supported Paul Ryan’s proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and repeatedly voted to raise the retirement age. He also claimed that the Inflation Reduction Act “is not designed to serve the best interests of the average American.” 
• Before walking back plans to put Medicare on the chopping block, Rick Scott spent years pushing to phase out Medicare, proposing a ‘sunset provision’ that would end the program within five years — but the only thing that needs a sunset is Rick Scott’s Senate career.
• Marco Rubio has a long record of undermining the Affordable Care Act, repeatedly called to raise the retirement age and supporting plans to privatize Medicare. He wants to end the program as we know it — a position that’s incredibly unpopular with the majority of Floridians.
• As extremist Republicans continue to attack health care, President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Democrats will keep fighting to make it more affordable and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid so that Americans can access the care they need.