Here's five top reasons why Millenials must address their generation's predation against older Americans and ageist policies in Obamacare.
First, born in 1982 forward, they are closer to middle age than young adulthood and will live in a society of their own creation where the overt display and policies against older Americans will be used against them.
Second, they have enjoyed the privilege of parents who allowed their generation to live essentially free in their parents' homes for a longer period of time than generations before them to save money, continue school or merely avoid scrambling for housing AND parents paying for their health insurance into their late 20s and beyond.
Third, supporting policies and attitudes that are intolerant of ageist slurs and assumptions makes their plea for a better vibe, a more community focused world more persuasive.
Fourth, their ability to change the landscape for health insurance is now when they're still young and healthy enough to make a difference.
Fifth, they are a larger generation than the baby boomers before them so advocating for government that protects its older citizens will benefit them.
Back to the first, the fact that this generation is closer to middle age than youth. Obamacare discriminates against individuals based on age. What Obamacare did was outlaw additional premium charges for anyone except tobacco users and individuals based on age.
One of President Obama's most beloved lies, (based on how often it was repeated by him and others) was that Obamacare created a "single risk pool." No objections to this lie even as the law itself singled out two groups for higher charges in premiums, in other words NOT a single risk pool. The first was those who use tobacco and the second was based on age.
Remember, the health industrial complex is about money, so insurance company, provider and government actions were always designed to get the most money out of health needs, that's why people were charged more for various pre-existing conditions, for smoking, based on their age, weight, etc. But by outlawing charging anyone more based on these cost centers, things that cost insurers more but leaving in two categories, tobacco use and age, Obamacare actually moralized that somehow these two cost centers were legitimate to single out while other former cost centers, those addicted to legal and illegal drugs, the obese, those with pre-existing conditions, those who suffer from alcoholism, were somehow NOT MORALLY eligible for the higher charges despite the REALITY of them being higher cost centers.
By outlawing higher premiums EXCEPT for those based on age and tobacco use, Obamacare actually embraced acceptable predation and discrimination, only tobacco users and older can be charged more in premiums REGARDLESS of how much the other categories of health needs cost insurers.
Back to the second, the tolerance of articles that suggest that Millenial job shortages are because boomers won't retire, or Millenial housing shortages are because boomers won't move should INSTANTLY be countered with arguments that Obamacare was made possible by foisting off the costs of health care needs of Millenials onto older working Americans, their parents. Obamacare didn't create a "right" for Millenials to have health insurance, it outsourced the provision of that insurance to companies who sold policies to their employees, Millenials' parents and at additional cost sold policy coverage for adult children up to the age of 26. These gifts by parents to children amounted to in many cases 10s of thousands of dollars.
What does this mean for Millenial outrage? First, FIX THE FAMILY GLITCH. Millenial outrage should be directed towards the persistent FAMILY glitch in Obamacare, uncorrected and ignored as only affecting five million people whereby because health insurance price limitations, eg health insurance premiums shouldn't cost more than about 10 percent of income for EMPLOYEE ONLY coverage, insurance companies super-charged coverage for dependents making it so that working parents couldn't AFFORD dependent coverage. Second, instead of enjoying the benefits of parents paying for grown children's health insurance demand change whereby there are affordable policies for Millenial Americans. Then, parents moving forward can save more of their income and perhaps retire earlier!
Back to Third, embracing issues of sexism, environmentalism, globalism, are all made more credible if you begin at home, right here in America with protesting CMS administrative changes to Obamacare like that in 2015 that authorized PAYING doctors to tell people on Medicare that their odds aren't good and that the cost-benefit analysis doesn't justify taking a chance that some medical care will work for them, the diabolical end of life counseling that is now a profit center for docs.
Further, fighting for the dissolution of Obamacare's Independent Payment Advisory Board, the scary panel that pretty much has all the power in taking action if the federal government's payments for Medicare exceed certain levels. It's a disgrace, but today's America, full of bile and outrage about so many issues is ignoring this catastrophically unfair abuse of older Americans.
Back to the Fourth, fighting for the cause of older Americans now when they are the stronger generation is not only the right way to protect a weaker class but is the way to protect themselves as they age, to get the policies in place before they reach an age when those policies will affect them.
Back to the Fifth, Millenials are the largest generation, that's right bigger than baby boomers. Tolerating government cuts to elder-protection programs like Social Security and Medicare, if they can't be handled now, they won't exist for next generations. This is the focus of meaningful political debate and input, where candidates should be forced to listen.
There's a lot that Millenials seem to want to do better, but the embrace of the ugliness of ageism stands to stain and undermine any claims of wanting a better vibe, a better way and a better community. Obamacare heralded in a legal permission for such ageism and should be the target of rooting this hatefulness at its root.
