How does one buy votes?
A recent article claimed that with the passing of healthcare reform, billions of dollars are being cut from Medicare and moved to Medicaid, which is in fact cutting money from Republican voters and giving it to Democrat voters. How does that work?
Consider the following…
Medicare is for: “American citizens and permanent residents over age 65.”
Medicaid is for: “People with limited income.”
You could be over 65 and have limited income, in which case you would qualify for both, but let me explain how this is a very tiny part of the population.
Most people over 65 have assets that are included in the eligibility calculations for Medicaid. These assets include:
- Checking and savings accounts
- Stocks, bonds, investments, annuities
- Rental property/land, vacation homes
- Recreational vehicles
- Whole life insurance and revocable burial policies
The limit someone can have on these resources is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. I would suggest that most people over 65 have much more than $2,000/$3,000 in one or more of those categories, thus disqualifying them for Medicaid.
So that means most of the users of Medicaid are low-income families (not elderly) and these individuals historically vote Democrat. Why? Because that is the party that supports the redistribution of wealth from those who make more, to those who make less. Anyone receiving a government check or tax credits for food, housing, childcare, etc… is going to vote for the party that will keep those checks coming in.
Therefore, increasing funding to Medicaid, even if it costs money to Medicare, will give money to those voters who consistently vote Democrat. Meanwhile, those over 65 (and everyone else) with cash and investments will have to pay more to the government in capital gains and new taxes so the government can transfer that wealth to those that collect Medicaid.
Are Illegal Immigrants on Medicaid?
Illegal immigrants officially qualify for only emergency Medicaid benefits. However, according to Heritage.Org, an illegal immigrant only needs to provide a social security number and the name of someone…anyone…who is registered in the social security database to qualify for full benefits.
The government doesn’t actually check if you are the actual person of the name and number you provided.
This is one reason why identity theft is so rampant. The ease with which a social security number and name can be acquired means that most illegal immigrants are probably receiving full Medicaid benefits.
Are Illegal Immigrants Voting?
Can illegal immigrants vote? No. Do they? Yes. There is an article here and here that discuss this. Not to mention the illegal immigrant activist groups like this one, that benefit from larger numbers of illegal immigrants and put pressure on politicians to support their reforms.
In conclusion, cutting Medicare benefits from those over 65 and redistributing that money to low-income families on Medicaid falls in line with the Democratic Party belief in wealth redistribution and equalization.
As I’ve said before, there’s no limit to the demand for something that’s free and the Democrats have long embraced a critical philosophy…
