President Obama, on Paul Ryan’s Medicare “plan:”
“My plan reduces the cost of Medicare by cracking down on fraud and waste and subsidies to insurance companies,” Obama said. “Their plan makes seniors pay more so they can give another tax cut to millionaires and billionaires.”
Obama directed his attacks at Ryan’s original Medicare plan, not the more vague plan now espoused by the Romney-Ryan ticket that would keep some traditional Medicare options. Ryan’s plan would eliminate Medicare’s current structure in favor of vouchers for private insurance.
“Because the voucher would not keep up with costs, the plan offered by Gov. Romney’s running mate would force seniors to pay an extra $6,400 per year — and I assume they don’t have it,” Obama said.
But it’s the mark of seriousness that their plan would cause seniors (not seniors like the ones on TV, just seniors living regular lives with their regular Social Security incomes, who are not pensioned by some dildo at Regnery sucking off their every unhinged op-ed) to suffer!
Their plan is to give you just enough to make you think maybe you’ll be okay. It’s actually worse than just outright stripping Medicare by executive order and/or orbital nuke. It’s worse because being able to kind of sort of solve your problem is the worst thing in the world. To be able to do just enough to die slowly, in debt and in pain, while nobody listens to anything you have to say anymore.
If there’s one thing that gives me hope in this campaign, it’s that Obama can deliver a message that government can and should be about coming together to provide for the welfare of all. Whereas Mitt and Paul are going to have to snarl and growl and rage about everything that’s being taken away from you. I hope we’re tired of the latter by now. I hope we’re ready to hear the former again.
A.
“it’s that Obama can deliver a message that government can and should be about coming together to provide for the welfare of all.”
That’s a good message. Of course, if there were any reality to it, Obama would have supported (for example) Medicare for All.
medicare has to adapt to survive, but not wither.
I hope this is more than just campaign rhetoric.
The problem I see in getting the message out is that just because one is a senior doesn’t mean that one is in the lower income bracket. The repubs can always point at the affluent seniors as a rationale / example of seniors taking advantage of the govt.
Of course, with the instability of the current economy, I’m surprised even the more affluent seniors don’t want a safety net.
Another blogger, bartcop.com, had a very good analogy of this.
The current Medicare program is like saying, “We’ll give you a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for $5.00.” (That cost being the proportional cost of Medicare supplemental insurance.)
Ryan’s plan is like saying, “We’ll give you a 20% coupon to have Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant of your choice.”
The only way Thanksgiving offer #2 equals Thanksgiving offer #1 is if you can find a restaurant that will serve a decent Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for $6.25.Not going to happen.
Personally I’ve decided to argue that if the American public thinks the Republican voucher plan for Medicare and the privatization of Social Security are such great ideas we shouldn’t wait to instigate them. We should do it now. Today. All seniors currently receiving Social Security can put whatever is in their “trust fund” into a 401K and will receive a voucher for their health care. Today. Why wait?
Dems- Health care coverage wuhotit denial of insurance based on pre-existing conditions; premium cost solely based on age; mandate that everyone must purchase health insurance.Repubs- Health insurance companies can deny insurance and set premium cost wuhotit regulation; sicker people likely to pay more, if they can get insurance at all; no mandate for purchase of health insurance. OR perhaps option 3 would be better who knows, it ALL sucks for ALLhealthcare.cato.org