What’s in the plan? Part 1
If you watch cable TV news, you'll hear all sorts of pundits going on and on and on about the $3.5 trillion budget bill implementing President Biden's Build Back Better agenda. They wonder if it's going to be $3.2 trillion or $1.5 trillion or $2.4 trillion.
Washington, DC might be the only place where the most-discussed thing is the price tag, rather than the value of what we're buying.
So, let's talk about that. When we talk to our friends and family, let's be sure we're helping folks understand why this plan is so important to all of us.
Today, I want to share with you what this plan would mean for health care for you and your loved ones:
Expand Medicare eligibility for every American age 60 and older. Right now, folks aren't eligible until age 65. By dropping the age to 60, we expand Medicare to include over 10 million more people, people who often have the hardest time finding affordable health care.
Expand Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing care. It's hard to believe, but Medicare has never included coverage for these critical parts of health care. It's about time.
We'll lower the price of prescription drugs. Americans shouldn't pay for more prescription drugs than people who live in Europe, Canada, or Japan—especially because so many prescription drugs are developed with direct and indirect support from American taxpayers. Medicare is the biggest drug purchaser in the country, so let's use its negotiating power to get good deals for the American people.
I don't know about you, but to me better Medicare and lower drug prices are exactly the kind of thing Democrats should be fighting for.
The corporate powers are going to try to throw up all kinds of noise and outright disinformation to get Democrats to back down. It's going to be a struggle in the coming weeks to stop the Build Back Better plan from being watered down. I promise you I'm going to give this fight everything I have, and I hope you'll join us in this fight.
Sign the petition. Tell Congress — we have to build back better!
In the coming days, I'll tell you what the plan means for children and families, the climate crisis, and tax fairness for all.
Stay tuned.
Jeff
