Citizenship for Millions and Medicare Expansion: White House Proposed Budget Package for Coming Years

The $ 3,5 trillion Democratic budget package will fund pathways to citizenship for millions of people and funds for border security. Writes about it The Hill.

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The bill, unveiled on Monday August 9, includes about $ 107 billion that the Senate Judicial Committee must spend on each item.

A proposal to expand the range of services was included in the plan to spend $ 3,5 trillion over the next decade on climate change, health financing and family assistance programs that are part of the economic program of US President Joe Biden.

The package does not specify how many people or which groups will be covered by the law, but instead instructs the committee to grant "legal permanent status for immigrants." The executive summary of the bill also says it will provide green cards to "millions of workers and immigrant families."

House Democrats have come up with a plan that will include not only dreamers brought to the United States as children, but also migrant agricultural workers, workers deemed essential during the pandemic, and those who already have temporary protected status and cannot return to own country.

Overall, Democrats can make about 10 million people eligible for citizenship.

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The inclusion of immigration in the budget alignment package came shortly after US President Joe Biden strongly endorsed the idea last month.

“I think we should include an immigration proposal in the bill,” Biden said.

However, members of the Trial The Senate has not yet made much progress on immigration issues.

The proposal from GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Thom Tillis (North Carolina) would encourage Democrats to seek a path to citizenship only for Dreamers who were already part of the DACA program. The proposal would benefit fewer than 700 people and exclude potential DACA recipients who were unable to access the program during Donald Trump's administration—an additional 000 million people.

Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, strongly condemned the expulsion of the general population, writing later that "it will force the deportation of hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who are helping our nation's economy recover from the effects of COVID-19."

What else on the budget

Health insurance for the elderly in the United States will also be expanded in accordance with the budget plan, writes CNBC.

As part of the budget plan, Medicare, which most Americans rely on at age 65, will cover dental, vision, and hearing costs. In addition, the age at which people can sign up for insurance will also be lowered, although it is unclear if this will be 60, as Biden said.

The proposals are part of Biden's economic program to fund climate change programs, health care and family services. While it is not certain that everything in the budget resolution will go through the full Congressional process, Medicare advocates are hoping that fringe benefits coverage will be implemented.

“This will make a big difference for the Medicare program and its beneficiaries,” said David Lipschutz, deputy director and senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy.

“If Congress adds these benefits, it will fill some serious gaps in coverage of the program since its inception,” Lipschutz said.

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About 62,8 million people are enrolled in Medicare, the majority of whom are 65 and older and rely on Medicare for their primary health insurance. The program was created under Congress law in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson, Lipschutz said, and largely reflected the health insurance standards of the time, which did not include broad coverage of dental care, vision and hearing.

“But as the health care system has evolved, Medicare has often fallen behind,” he said.

Original Medicare is made up of Part A (hospital coverage) and Part B (outpatient coverage). Except for limited exceptions, there is no coverage related to dental care, vision, or hearing, which could cause recipients to refuse treatment.

“It would be a significant improvement to provide coverage for people who often go without needed care because they can't afford it, and for people who pay a lot for the care they need,” said Trisha Neumann, Kaiser's chief executive. .

Some beneficiaries receive limited coverage for dental, vision, and hearing services if they choose to receive Part A and B benefits from the Advantage Plan (Part C), which often includes these additional services. About 40% of beneficiaries are enrolled in Advantage plans.

However, according to Lipschutz, additional coverage is usually not comprehensive. On the other hand, if the original Medicare program had required enhanced benefits—no matter how generous—they would have become standard in the Advantage Plan.

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