Ryan Budget - Contra Costa Report

The Republican Budget – written by Rep. Paul Ryan – would end the guarantee of Medicare as we know it - while significantly altering Medicaid, and numerous other programs that benefit seniors.

A new Congressional report says the Ryan/Republican budget would have the following impact on Contra Costa and Solano seniors: 

• Increase prescription drug costs for 6,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the district who enter the Part D donut hole, forcing them to pay an extra $55 million for drugs over the next decade.
• Eliminate new preventive care benefits for 82,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the district.
• Force 82,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the district who are currently enrolled in traditional Medicare to pay thousands of dollars more in premiums to remain in traditional Medicare after Medicare becomes a voucher program.
• Reduce coverage for 17,900 Medicare beneficiaries who rely on Medicaid to supplement their Medicare coverage, potentially denying them over $630 million in health benefits.
• Jeopardize nursing home care for 1,100 district residents whose expenses are paid by Medicaid.
• Raise food costs for 4,200 district households with seniors who rely on food stamps by as much as $1,100 per year or eliminate food assistance for many of these households entirely.
• Threaten affordable housing programs that provide rental support for 1,700 district households with seniors.
• Place 76,000 district seniors at increased risk of fraud, scams, and elder abuse by cutting as much as $6 billion in funding for federal consumer protection and law enforcement.

Read the entire report below: