The fight to save Medicare and Medicaid begins in January

You've heard a lot less from Republicans, including popular vote loser Donald Trump, about plans to privatize Medicare and gut Medicaid under the new administration. In fact, House Speaker Paul Ryan has seemed to cool off a bit on the whole idea. But don't let your guard down, because with Trump's proposed cabinet nominees, we have to keep up the fight. That starts with making sure Chuck Schumer and his Senate Democrats don't allow these guys—Tom Price and Mick Mulvaney—an easy ride.

First up Georgia Rep. Price who will be under scrutiny as the nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services. Price is as extreme as extreme can get when it comes to getting the government out of healthcare, and that includes breaking the promises of Medicare and Medicaid forever.

Price, a former orthopedic surgeon and six-term House member from suburban Atlanta, has proposed policies that are more conservative than those of many House Republican colleagues. His vision for health reform hinges on eliminating much of the federal government's role in favor of a free-market framework built on privatization, state flexibility and changes to the tax code. The vast majority of the 20 million people now covered under Obamacare would have far less robust coverage — if they got anything at all. […]

A close ally of Speaker Paul Ryan and his successor as House Budget Committee chairman, Price also supports privatizing Medicare so that seniors would receive fixed dollar amounts to buy coverage — an approach that Democrats lambaste as a voucher system that would gut a 50-year-old social contract and shift a growing share of health care costs onto seniors. Republicans argue the changes are needed to keep Medicare from going bankrupt. Trump’s transition spokesman did not return calls Tuesday about whether the president-elect now shares his nominee’s views on Medicare.

Price also wants to limit federal Medicaid spending to give states a lump sum, or block grant, and more control over how they could use it — a dream of conservative Republicans for years and a nightmare for advocates for the poor who fear many would lose coverage. Trump has endorsed block grants.

Turning all the Medicaid money over to the state to use as they see fit—say, defunding Planned Parenthood or curtailing long-term care payments—would be a disaster. And it would only get worse from there. The implications of privatizing Medicare are pretty clear—much higher bills for enrollees, along with less government oversight on the quality of care. Which is exactly how Republicans want it to be.

That also includes Freedom Caucus maniac Rep. Mick Mulvaney, who Trump has tapped to direct the Office of Management and Budget—he's the guy that sets all the taxing and spending priorities.