Politics & Government

[POLL] Cut Military Spending In Favor Of Medicare?

A congressional candidate from Bayside said he would do just that.

Congressional Candidate announced that he would seek to cut at least 30 percent of military spending, in order to fill gaps in medicare coverage. Mittman, , who says he would plug the money specifically into Medicare's 'Donut Hole,' states in his release:

Simply put, the Medicare Donut Hole phase is when a Medicare beneficiary reaches the plan's Initial Coverage Limit, around $2,930. After that, the beneficiary is financially responsible for the entire cost of prescription drugs until the expense reaches the catastrophic coverage threshold of $4,550. Once the participant reaches this point, the insurance kicks back in.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that more than a quarter of Part D participants stop following their prescribed regimen of drugs when they hit the donut hole.

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Dr. Mittman stated, “The only donut hole our seniors should be seeing occasionally, is the one they are about to take a bite out of at the donut shop on Main Street or Springfield Boulevard. The Medicare Donut Hole puts many of our seniors at risk. It will force some seniors to decide between meals and medications! That’s just unacceptable and another clear indication of our Federal Government having its priorities mixed up!”

Mittman proposed savings through reductions in military spending as the best way to fund the elimination of the Medicare Donut Hole, reduce the deficit and pay down the debt. The U.S. spends over $700 Billionper year on its Defense Budget. This is close to ½ the World’s military expenditures!

Find out what's happening in Bayside-Douglastonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Additionally, half of the US Discretionary Budget is spent on the Military Budget. In the past 13 years US Military Spending increased 114%

“This is Insane and we must Stop the Madness. I propose that we Cut Military Spending by at least 30%, a savings of approximately $230 Billion Dollars! We would still have the strongest military on the planet and would still have the largest defense budget in the world. Let’s use the money saved to eliminate the Medicare Doughnut Hole and have money for important programs and yes, REDUCE THE BUDGET DEFICIT and pay down the debt!” said Mittman.

Mittman is also in favor of eliminating the cap on social security contributions, compelling those who make over $106,000 annually to contribute over that threshold. 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Bayside-Douglaston