"So old folks do better than young folks under Ryan’s tender care, right?
Well, not exactly. As Joan McCarter usefully reminds us at Daily Kos today, Medicaid is the ultimate safety net for lower-income seniors, paying for Medicare premiums for some and for long-term care for virtually all of modest means. More than two-thirds of America’s nursing home residents—two-thirds—are having their basic needs met by Medicaid. So with federal Medicaid funding being cut an estimated one-third over the next decade if Ryan gets his way (not cuts likely to be offset by the typically Republican leadership in the states most affected, who are already whining they can’t afford their current costs), and Romney apparently even more inclined to aggressively follow the block, cap and dump approach, it’s going to get tough fast for lower-income seniors."
