By Toluse Olorunnipa and Sean Sullivan, March 11, 2019<\/p>\n
A new proposal by President Trump to slash Medicare spending puts Republicans in a political bind ahead of the 2020 election as Democrats are pitching an expansion of the popular health-care program for all Americans.<\/p>\n
Trump\u2019s 10-year budget unveiled Monday calls for more than $845\u00a0billion in reductions for Medicare, aiming to cut \u201cwaste, fraud and abuse\u201d in the federal program that gives insurance to older Americans. It\u2019s part of a broader proposed belt-tightening effort after deficits soared during the president\u2019s first two years in office in part due to massive tax cuts for the wealthy.<\/p>\n
The move immediately tees up a potential messaging battle between Democratic proposals for Medicare-for-all \u2014 castigated by Republicans as a socialist boondoggle \u2014 and a kind of Medicare-for-less approach. focused on cutting back on spending, from the GOP.<\/p>\n
Democrats, including some seeking to challenge Trump in 2020, seized on the proposed Medicare cuts Monday as an example of the GOP seeking to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly and the poor after giving broad tax breaks to the wealthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake no mistake about it: Trump\u2019s budget is a massive transfer of wealth from the working class to the wealthiest people and most profitable corporations in America,\u201d Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a Democratic presidential candidate, said in a Monday tweet that highlighted Medicare cuts.<\/p>\n
During his 2016 campaign, Trump broke from Republican orthodoxy by promising not to cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security. His budget, by contrast, calls for scaling back all three programs.<\/p>\n
In states with large senior populations, such as Florida, political attacks over Medicare cuts have proved so effective that both parties have used them. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) won his seat after running ads last year accusing Democrat Bill Nelson of voting to cut Medicare.<\/p>\n
Trump probably needs to win Florida, Arizona, Pennsylvania and other states with large numbers of seniors to secure reelection in 2020. Older Americans consistently vote at higher rates than younger Americans.<\/p>\n
Since taking office, Trump has largely left untouched Medicare and other programs heavily used by seniors. Republicans have followed his lead, ditching previous proposals to raise the retirement age or impose other restrictions to save costs and reduce the $22\u00a0trillion national debt.<\/p>\n
While announcing his presidential bid in June 2015, Trump said he would \u201csave Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts.\u201d He added that it was \u201cnot fair\u201d to make cuts to a program that people had been paying into for many years, and that he would save it \u201cby making us rich again\u201d and cutting waste, fraud and abuse.<\/p>\n
The White House said Monday that Trump\u2019s budget, which calls for changing hospital reimbursement rates and finding savings on drug prices, does not amount to cuts for Medicare or change the program structurally.<\/p>\n
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a 2020 presidential candidate, speaks during an event Saturday in St. George, S.C. She said Monday that President Trump\u2019s proposed Medicare cuts would \u201churt seniors.\u201d (Meg Kinnard\/AP)<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not cutting Medicare in this budget,\u201d Russell Vought, the acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters Monday at the White House. \u201cMedicare spending will go up every single year by healthy margins, and there are no structural changes for Medicare beneficiaries.\u201d<\/p>\n But Trump\u2019s proposed Medicare savings are more than three times as large as those in his previous budget, and industry lobbying groups said the reductions would hurt hospitals and seniors.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impact on care for seniors would be devastating,\u201d Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, said in a statement. \u201cHospitals are less and less able to cover the cost of care for Medicare patients, it is no time to gut Medicare.\u201d<\/p>\n