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David B. Kyle
New Columbia
With about 200 days remaining before the 2024 Presidential election, voters are considering numerous issues as they decide which party's candidate to support. Among the concerns are the age of the current president, the multiple legal charges faced by the former president, abortion, immigration, inflation, wages and employment.
While these issues are clearly significant, there is another less noticeable yet no less concerted effort being proposed that could radically remake our country and government should Donald Trump or another Republican gain the Oval Office.
Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership, developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation, is the "conservative movement's unified effort to be ready for the next conservative Administration to govern at 12 noon, Jan. 20, 2025." This manifesto proposes to infuse Christian nationalist and conservative ideas into all levels of government, and to dismantle every piece of legislation currently in place to address everything from carbon dioxide emissions to the Affordable Care Act.
Christian nationalists believe that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and their Christian values should be prioritized throughout all government and public life. This agenda represents a threat to democracy, the climate, civil and human rights, healthcare and more.
One proposal that should alarm many is the plan to "make Medicare Advantage the default enrollment option" for people who are newly eligible for Medicare. This change would eventually lead to the end of the traditional Medicare program and increase the profits of private health insurers.
While Medicare Advantage plans offer regular Medicare A and B coverages, they also often offer additional benefits such as vision and dental coverage. While attractive to many, such benefits come at additional costs, both monetary and benefit wise.
Currently, Medicare enrollees are free to visit any doctor or hospital which accepts Medicare (almost all doctors and hospitals do). Most Medicare Advantage plans have limited networks of doctors to choose from and many of those have stopped accepting the private plans offered. Many of these plans also require referrals for specialized treatments.
The Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership also proposes to repeal government's ability to negotiate and control prescription drug prices in Medicare, created by Democrats and President Biden under the Inflation Reduction Act.
I urge all voters concerned about the future of our country, regardless of your political affiliation, to familiarize yourself with this radical proposal for change: www.project2025.org.