John,

Today, Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order to “protect Medicare from socialism.”

Let’s set aside for a moment that Medicare is government-run health care for older Americans, and is at its core socialized medicine. Let’s set aside that Medicare is incredibly efficient―spending just 1.1 penny of every dollar collected on administrative costs―and if implemented for all Americans would dramatically lower what Americans pay each year for health care.

Let’s instead focus on what Donald Trump is saying, and why he’s wrong.

Donald Trump wants to scare seniors by claiming that Medicare for All will take something away from them.

Here’s the truth: Under Medicare for All, current Medicare beneficiaries will stop paying co-pays, deductibles, and premiums. And they won’t need supplemental dental, vision, hearing, or long-term care plans. That will all be covered.

Right now, the cost of a semi-private room, food and housecleaning in a nursing home averages $225 a day, or $82,125 each and every year. And the current Medicare program does not cover long-term care—neither care at home nor in nursing homes. That means older Americans who need care are forced to impoverish themselves until they qualify for Medicaid. Under Medicare for All, that ends.

Right now, Medicare doesn’t cover hearing, dental or vision coverage―meaning that older Americans must pay out-of-pocket for this critical medical care.

Once again: Medicare for All covers, hearing, dental and vision, and eliminates every penny in premiums, co-pays and deductibles.

Donald Trump, Republicans in Congress and the for-profit health care industry―including Big Pharma and insurance corporations―are doing all they can to scare the American people. They are terrified of Medicare for All and will do everything they can to defeat it, including scaring those who are most dependent on health care and therefore have the most to gain from Medicare for All—older Americans. We are just beginning to see their campaign of fear.

Join Social Security Works and our partners and tell Donald Trump that Medicare for All is GOOD for seniors!

In addition to trying to scare seniors, the fearmongers seek to convince all of us that adding important services to Medicare and expanding the program to cover everyone is unaffordable. Nothing could be further from the truth. What is unaffordable is what we have now.

Even conservative analyses show that Medicare for All will reduce what seniors and the rest of us pay currently.

Today’s Medicare covers seniors and people with disabilities. These are people who have, on average, the most expensive and chronic medical conditions and therefore require the largest numbers of doctor and hospital visits.

By adding younger, largely healthy people to Medicare, current Medicare costs would come down.

Right now, the administrative costs of private health insurance are generally more than 12%. Indeed, it took the Affordable Care Act to limit insurance companies to spending no more than 20% of patient premiums on administrative costs.

Adding everyone to Medicare would not only increase the size of the risk pool. It would reduce costs even more by adding healthier, younger beneficiaries to that risk pool, driving the per capita costs even lower.

Sign the petition and tell Donald Trump that Medicare for All is GOOD for seniors who rely on traditional Medicare.

By expanding Medicare to include long-term care, dental, hearing, and vision, and eliminating co-pays, premiums and deductibles, seniors will get an even better deal.

Thank you for taking action today.

Alex Lawson
Social Security Works

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