To the Editor:

As I was growing up, my parents epitomized the American work ethic, both working full time (or more) into their late 60s. They worked hard, paid their mortgage, paid their taxes, paid into Social Security, Medicare, and into their employer-based retirement plans. They did everything that they perceived any hardworking citizen should do.

During the economic down turn in 2007 and 2008, the bulk of their retirement nest egg was decimated. Now, in their mid-70s, with my father in declining health, they are increasingly dependent on their Social Security income, and my father’s care is increasingly dependent on Medicaid and Medicare benefits.