•June 7, 2017•

By Trudy Lieberman
Rural Health News Service

Older Americans may be in for a rough ride if the changes Washington politicians are considering come to pass. Because good, explanatory journalism is in short supply and TV shouting matches don’t tell you much, I decided to use this space to discuss some of the possible changes that could soon affect millions of people in their 60s and older.

First, let’s consider Medicaid, the federal-state program that finances healthcare for the poor and long term care for the middle class. Virtually all the talk about cutting Medicaid by more than $800 billion over the next 10 years has centered on the 11 million people who gained health coverage under the Medicaid provisions of the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare.

Most of those Americans will lose their health coverage if the legislation the House passed in early May to replace Obamacare gets through the Senate. Equally affected will be seniors and their families who now count on Medicaid to fund long-term care.      Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.