To the editor:

Recently we learned that, for the first time in years, the nation’s uninsured rate increased. This is but the tip of the recent bad health care news iceberg.

Perhaps the most recent example is the federal budget that the Senate just passed. This budget, building off the House’s version, calls for almost $500 billion in cuts to your Medicare. This means that, either now or when you retire, you will be paying higher premiums for your health care while living on a fixed income.

As if hurting our seniors was not bad enough, Congress is rubbing salt in the wound by stripping about $1 trillion from Medicaid. This means that the disabled and most impoverished among us will find it harder to access medical care. These groups, furthermore, include many seniors. Medicaid is, for example, one of the main ways seniors afford nursing homes.

Why did Sen. Todd Young vote against seniors and the disabled when he supported this budget bill? As Rep. Trey Hollingsworth did before him, to free up money for tax cuts for the rich.

Please call both Sen. Young (317-226-6700) and Rep. Hollingsworth (812-288-3999) and demand that they leave your Medicare and Medicaid alone.

William E. Smith III, Bloomington

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