Now & Then & Etc

The Trump administration is trying to privatize the Medicare government healthcare program by rolling this successful government program (and one which minimizes costs for participants) into the for-profit (and plagued by overbilling and profit-taking) corporate Medicare Advantage programs. Per the Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action’s (PSARA) August 2026 newsletter, The Retiree Advocate, “Project 2025 calls for all Medicare-eligible beneficiaries who do not choose a plan to be automatically enrolled in private Medicare Advantage plans, rather than in original Medicare.” ¹
     Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid, and Chris Klomp, the Director of Medicare, are supporting this default turnover of our tax-funded healthcare dollars to corporate control. The Washington State Labor Council and the Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action oppose this.

     ¹ Mike Andrew, “WSLC Opposes Default Enrollment in Medicare Advantage, Will Ask Governor to Initiate Process to Prosecute Theft of Social Security Data,” The Retiree Advocate, August 2026.