The privatization of Medicare begun under Trump has drastically expanded in the last 12 months — and corporations with ties to the Trump family stand to benefit. President Biden needs to shut it down immediately and save Medicare.
During the Trump administration, Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner announced his plan to partially privatize Medicare coverage. Kushner tapped his former roommate Adam Boehler to pilot the program in January 2019.1 Under the traditional Medicare program, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services directly reimburses providers for patients' medical care.
But under Kushner's so-called "direct contracting model," the government pays Wall Street-backed startups and private insurance companies, who in turn reimburse providers.
By paying corporate middlemen to administer our public program for older Americans and people with disabilities, Kushner's "direct contracting" model props up the corporate health care industry. President Biden can — and must — immediately stop this attack on Medicare now.
Sign the petition: Stop enriching private corporations at the expense of our health care!
According to recent reporting from the Intercept, government lawyers raised concerns back in January 2019 that the privatization program was designed specifically to benefit certain companies — including one with ties to Boehler, the head of the direct contracting program.2 Despite the lawyers' concern, the program was still allowed to go into effect as originally planned.
Thanks to intense public pressure, President Biden recently announced plans to reform this program beginning in January 2023.3 That's not enough. Thousands more seniors will find themselves enrolled in Trump's legacy program between now and then. Rep. Pramila Jayapal is calling on President Biden to immediately end this program now, and we stand with her.4
This program runs against the entire purpose of Medicare. Seniors value traditional Medicare because it is simple, efficient, and universal. Corporations should not be allowed to insert themselves between doctors and patients, and use our Medicare dollars to pad their profits!
Sign the petition: Tell President Biden to immediately end Donald Trump's Medicare privatization scheme now!
Sources:
1. Bad News, "The stealth privatization of Medicare is afoot," December 16, 2021.
2. The Intercept, "Medicare Privatization Scheme Faced Legal Questions About Profiteering," December 14, 2021.
3. Common Dreams, "'Band-Aid on a Tumor': Critics Blast Biden Rebrand of Trump's Medicare Privatization Scheme," February 25, 2022.
4. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, "Jayapal Urges Medicare to Take Broad, Quick Steps to End Trump-Era Privatization Program," February 25, 2022.