Letter to the Editor: A Good Reason to Be Scared

I am scared. People I know and love have lost their jobs due to the economic collapse and thus have lost their health insurance for themselves and their families during a raging pandemic. Millions who are still working have insurance through the Affordable Care Act, but this administration is once again in court trying to overturn the act with nothing to replace it.

As a senior citizen who depends on Medicare for basic health services and insurance, I also feel betrayed. I heard the president campaigning in Wisconsin in 2016 saying he would protect Medicare. Now his current budget proposes big cuts to both Medicare and Medicaid. Many seniors cannot afford higher Medicare deductibles and copays or higher premiums for supplemental insurance. 

The president’s budget also proposes cuts to Social Security, so seniors would have less money to pay increasing expenses. On top of this, dedicated doctors and nurses have died treating COVID-19 because they did not have proper protective clothing. The president said that was not his responsibility. 

Does our government no longer care about us? It seems like our once-solid country is coming apart at the seams. I am scared.

Ellen Olson

Woodville, Wisconsin