By skyforbes 
By Sue Clements
Before I retired from nursing in 2020, I worked for 48 years in a busy inner-city hospital in one of the poorest sections of Philadelphia. I know how important Medicaid is in providing healthcare to people who have no other options. Healthcare is a right, not a privilege. It is our responsibility as a country to ensure that every person has access to healthcare.
The Trump administration’s budget proposes huge cuts to Medicaid. Why? To fund tax cuts for the richest at the expense of the poorest. This is not only wrong, it is immoral.
I know how important Medicaid is in providing healthcare to people who have no other options.
The immediate effect of these cuts will be a lack of healthcare for marginalized people, but it will also create a downward spiral that will affect the entire healthcare system. Without Medicaid reimbursements, some hospitals and nursing homes will be forced to close, making access to healthcare challenging even for those who have insurance. The loss of jobs in the industry will be devastating. Doctors and nurses may be able to secure new positions, but the ancillary staff who work as techs, nursing assistants, in environmental services and engineering will be screwed.
I always believed that when I retired, I would collect the Social Security I had faithfully paid into all of my working life and that I would have sufficient income to have a good quality of life. Now I fear that my retirement is at great risk as this irresponsible administration and the enabling Congress threaten to gut Social Security again to provide tax breaks for the richest people in the country — as if income inequality were not already a disgraceful situation.
I am luckier than many retirees, especially other women. I was a member of a strong union — Health Professionals and Allied Employees — and as such, we were able to negotiate good retirement benefits. But without a steady income, how long will my funds last? I have friends who rely entirely on Social Security; it is their only income. What happens to them if Social Security ceases to exist?
I have friends who rely entirely on Social Security; it is their only income. What happens to them if Social Security ceases to exist?
My mother is 95 years old, and she also collects Social Security. She contributes to the household income and has some money to spend as she likes. We both have Medicare Advantage plans, which provide us with good healthcare and a reasonable copay. Could we afford healthcare if we didn’t have that?
One thing is certain: Donald Trump does not care about the people in this country unless you are rich or famous. His promises to bring down the cost of groceries, end the war in Ukraine, and make American great again are all lies. He is a convicted felon who tried to overthrow a free and fair election and who continues to try and shred our democracy. We knew who he was, yet many misinformed people elected him not once, but twice! I am still in disbelief.
We need to fight back against everything he stands for by showing up at rallies, emailing, calling and writing to our senators and representatives telling them that we will not stand for the dismantling of our democracy.
During the first Trump administration, I demonstrated many times along with my children and grandchildren when he threatened healthcare, immigrants and refused to share his tax returns.
We are ready to fight again. We went to the April 5 rally in Philadelphia, which was impressive. I demonstrated with a small group in Bensalem. We need to do everything we can to make our voices heard. The future of our country depends on it.
Sue Clements is a retired registered nurse and a member of the retiree chapter of Health Professionals and Allied Employees.
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