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Donald J. Trump, Opinion contributor Published 3:15 a.m. ET Oct. 10, 2018 | Updated 3:45 p.m. ET Oct. 12, 2018

President Donald Trump(Photo: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

Throughout the year, we have seen Democrats across the country uniting around a new legislative proposal that would end Medicare as we know it and take away benefits that seniors have paid for their entire lives.

Dishonestly called Medicare for All, the Democratic proposal would establish a government-run, single-payer health care system that eliminates all private and employer-based health care plans and would costan astonishing $32.6trillionduring its first 10 years.

As a candidate, I promised that we would protect coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions and create new health care insurance options that would lower premiums.I have kept that promise, and we are now seeing health insurance premiums coming down.

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I also made a solemn promise to our great seniors to protect Medicare. That is why I am fighting so hard against theDemocrats' plan that would eviscerate Medicare.Democrats have already harmed seniors by slashing Medicare by more than $800 billionover 10 years to pay for Obamacare.Likewise, Democrats wouldgut Medicare with their planned government takeover of American health care.

The Democrats' plan means that after a life of hard work and sacrifice, seniors would no longer be able to depend on the benefits they were promised. By eliminating Medicare as a program for seniors, and outlawing the ability of Americans to enroll in private and employer-based plans, the Democraticplan would inevitably lead to the massive rationing of health care. Doctors and hospitals would be put out of business. Seniors would lose access to their favorite doctors. There would be long wait lines for appointments and procedures. Previously covered care would effectively be denied.

In practice, the Democratic Partys so-called Medicare for Allwould really be Medicare for None. Under the Democrats' plan, todays Medicare would be forced to die.

The Democrats' plan also would meanthe end of choice for seniors over their own health care decisions. Instead, Democrats would give total power and control over seniors health care decisions to the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

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The first thing the Democratic plan will do to end choice for seniors is eliminate Medicare Advantage plans for about 20 million seniors as well as eliminate other private health plans that seniors currently use to supplement their Medicare coverage.

Next, the Democrats would eliminate every Americans private and employer-based health plan. It is right there in their proposed legislation: Democrats outlaw private health plansthat offer the same benefits as the government plan.

Americans might think that such an extreme, anti-senior, anti-choiceand anti-consumerproposal for government-run health care would find little support among Democrats in Congress.

Unfortunately, they would be wrong:123 Democrats in the House of Representatives 64percent of House Democratsas well as 15Democrats in the Senatehave already formally co-sponsored this legislation. Democratic nominees for governor in Florida, Californiaand Maryland are all campaigning in support of it, as are many Democratic congressional candidates.

The truth is that the centrist Democratic Party is dead. The new Democrats are radical socialists who want to model Americas economy after Venezuela.

If Democrats win control of Congress this November, we will come dangerously closer to socialism in America. Government-run health care is just the beginning. Democrats are also pushing massive government control of education, private-sector businessesand other major sectors of the U.S.economy.

Every single citizen will be harmed by such a radical shift in American culture and life. Virtually everywhere it has been tried, socialism has brought suffering, miseryand decay.

Indeed, the Democrats' commitment to government-run health care is all the more menacing to our seniors and our economy when paired with someDemocrats' absolute commitment to endenforcement of our immigration laws by abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That means millions more would cross our borders illegally and take advantage of health care paid for by American taxpayers.

Todays Democratic Party is for open-borders socialism. This radical agendawould destroy American prosperity. Under itsvision, costs will spiral out of control. Taxes will skyrocket. And Democrats will seek to slash budgets for seniors Medicare, Social Securityand defense.

Republicans believe that a Medicare program that was created for seniors and paid for by seniors their entire lives should always be protected and preserved. I am committed to resolutely defending Medicare and Social Security from the radical socialist plans of the Democrats. For the sake of our country, our prosperity, our seniorsand all Americans this is a fight we must win.

Donald J. Trump is the president of the United States. Follow him on Twitter:@realDonaldTrump

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