The 2024 Republican Platform’s Empty Guarantees To Older Adults

The Republican party platform, orchestrated by former President Trump, is stuffed with guarantees for these it calls “our Nice Seniors.” However there may be little or no actual coverage behind most of these marketing campaign pledges. And the doc is stuffed with many irreconcilable contradictions.

The platform would be the GOP’s election-year coverage framework popping out of its upcoming July 15-18 nominating conference. And it acknowledges some vital wants of seniors and units targets that will enhance their high quality of life and that of their households. However it not often describes how Trump and the GOP would obtain these targets.

Social Safety

The doc is filled with uppercase guarantees comparable to, “FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE.”

However that daring pledge ignores a singular actuality. Inside a few decade, absent main adjustments, the Social Safety belief fund may have solely sufficient cash to pay about 78 p.c of promised advantages. Meaning a typical retiree receiving about $1,900-a-month in advantages would see their payments decline by more than $400.

In different phrases, these promised “NO CUTS” are inconceivable with out main reforms. However the platform is totally mute on what they’d be.

Medicare

Identical story with Medicare. The platform guarantees “NO CUTS” however is silent on find out how to make the troubled Hospital Insurance trust fund solvent.

It does make one promise: “Republicans will shield Medicare’s funds from being financially crushed by the Democrat plan so as to add tens of thousands and thousands of latest unlawful immigrants to the rolls of Medicare.”

However undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare. Undocumented employees should pay the Medicare payroll tax however can’t acquire advantages. Thus, they make Medicare’s finances stronger, not weaker. And few Democrats assist increasing Medicare advantages to the undocumented.

Immigration And Care Employees

The implacable opposition of Trump and his celebration to immigration hurts seniors in different methods and creates a large inconsistency within the platform. It follows a sample from Trump’s first term in office.

On one hand, it vows to close the US borders to immigration and provoke the “largest deportation program in American historical past.” However it additionally guarantees to “overturn disincentives that result in Care Employee shortages.” Besides one of many largest causes of care employee shortages is, look ahead to it, restrictive immigration coverage.

For instance, the US might want to fill 5.5 million vacant residence care jobs by 2031, according to PHI International. However few native-born People need to do that low-paid and harmful work. The place will these employees come from?

About one-third of on-the-books residence care employees presently are immigrants. Licensed residence care aides, for instance, have work papers. However an unknown, however vital, variety of grey market employees are undocumented. And plenty of engaged on inexperienced playing cards have relations who’re undocumented.

Booting foreign-born employees in a foreign country will make the care employee shortages vastly worse, putting much more burdens on relations, jeopardizing the well being of frail older adults, and driving extra individuals who want long-term care out of their houses and into nursing amenities. All precisely the alternative of what the platform guarantees.

And it isn’t simply aides. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that a few half million registered nurses are immigrants, one in all each six nurses within the US. Practically one-third of all hospitals report hiring foreign-educated nurses.

However the platform’s promise to “work with our Nice Seniors, in an effort to permit them to be energetic and wholesome,” the immigration provisions of the GOP platform will make their lives infinitely worse.

Tax Credit

The platform additionally guarantees unspecified tax credit for household caregivers. There’s much less to that pledge than meets the attention as effectively.

Tax credit are available in two flavors, refundable and non-refundable. Most are non-refundable, which suggests they’re unavailable to low- and even many moderate-income households who pay no federal earnings tax. Refundable tax credit are extra out there, however they value the Treasury extra income and customarily have been opposed by Republicans.

And even if you’re eligible, the credit characterize not more than a drop within the monetary bucket for many frail older adults and their households. A federal credit score could also be $750 or $1,000. However the average annual cost of a home care aide is $75,000. And a nursing residence can simply value twice as a lot.

Main Care

Then, the platform says this: “Republicans will assist elevated deal with Continual Illness prevention and administration, Lengthy-Time period Care, and Profit flexibility. We are going to increase entry to Main Care and assist Insurance policies that assist Seniors stay of their houses and keep Monetary Safety.”

All laudable targets. However what do they imply?

Specializing in long-term care is good nevertheless it isn’t a plan.

One other instance: Entry to main care is vital. However given the severe shortage of primary care physicians and nurse practitioners. elevated entry is a pipe dream.

How would Trump and a GOP Congress enhance incentives for medical professionals to get into main care? Silence.

There’s tons extra, however you get the drift. Promising assist for “our Nice Seniors” is good. However with out actual, constant coverage concepts, it’s meaningless.