Friday, July 30, 2010
Politics / Health Care The Republican threat to Medicare
Posted by Max Brantley on Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 9:17 AM
The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee continues to use Medicare's 45th anniversary to highlight what Republican control could mean to the popular program. Nine Republican Senate candidates have made threatening remarks about it, including Rep. John Boozman. Said the release:
Boozman Voted to Replace Medicare With a Private Program. In April 2009, Boozman voted for a GOP alternative budget by Rep. Paul ryan that called for "replacing the traditional Medicare program with subsidies to help retirees enroll in private health care plans."
In that private insurers have double the overhead of Medicare (often with less coverage) the idea of privatizing Medicare is a fair topic of discussion this election season. Paying for Medicare going forward is also a fair topic for all candidates and the old cliches about cutting fat aren't sufficient.
DSCC RELEASE
As Americans across the country celebrate the 45th anniversary of Medicare being signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is attacking nine Republican Senate candidates who want to take Medicare away from their would-be constituents. Medicare, which provides quality health insurance to those 65 and over, has been one of the most successful and popular government programs in American history. While Democrats will fight to preserve Medicare, these nine Republicans candidates will fight tooth and nail to abolish it should they win this November.
“On the 45th anniversary of Medicare, Republican Senate candidates are running to take it away,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Deirdre Murphy. “Fortunately, voters will have a choice this fall, between Democrats who will fight to preserve Medicare, and Republicans who will fight to abolish it.”
NINE REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATES WHO WANT TO END MEDICARE AS WE KNOW IT
SHARRON ANGLE WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 348,168 NEVADANS
· Angle On Medicare: “We Need To Phase It Out.” In October 2009, the Review-Journal reported, “As for Medicare, she (Angle) said the entitlement program popular with seniors will eventually grow too costly to maintain… ‘We need to phase it out,’ she said.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 10/21/2009]
RAND PAUL WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 752,776 KENTUCKIANS
· Paul: Medicare Is Soviet Union Socialism. A Courier-Journal review of Paul’s prior statements found he had compared Medicare to Soviet socialism. “Advancing his belief that health care prices should be set by the marketplace, Paul also has attacked having government set Medicare reimbursements for doctors,” the Courier-Journal said. “The fundamental reason why Medicare is failing is why the Soviet Union failed — socialism doesn't work," Paul said on Kentucky Tonight on June 16, 1998. "You have ... no price fluctuation.” [Courier-Journal, 6/21/2010; Kentucky Tonight 1998 archives]
DAN COATS WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 996,966 HOOSIERS
· Coats: I Want To Work With Rep. Ryan On His Ideas for Entitlement Reform. In July 2010, Coats praised Rep. Paul Ryan’s ideas for entitlement reform and vowed to work with him on passing them if elected. He said, “Paul Ryan has come up with some very sensible ideas, I have talked personal with Paul I have read his materials and there are many many things in there that I agree with and want to work with him on. UUhh it basically says we are out of money and we are deeply in debt. And if we are going to have a future in this country for our children and our grandchildren and going to have jobs available and be the country of opportunity and be the country that can lead the world and the economy we have to come up with some reforms. And Paul has come up with some very constructive ideas and so have other republicans.” [Greg Garrison Show, 7/12/10]
o Ryan Plan would Eliminate Traditional Medicare. “The Ryan plan would eliminate traditional Medicare, most of Medicaid, and all of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), converting these health programs largely to vouchers that low-income households, seniors, and people with disabilities could use to help buy insurance in the private health insurance market.” [Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, 7/07/10]
DAVID VITTER WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 677,880 LOUISIANANS
· Vitter Endorsed Plan to Privatize Medicare. In September 2009, Vitter endorsed a report from the conservative Pelican Institute that promoted ending the employer-based health insurance system. According to the Times-Picayune, “U.S. Sen. David Vitter has endorsed a new study from a conservative think tank that calls for scrapping the nation’s employer-based health insurance system in favor of individually owned policies and converting the Medicaid program into vouchers for private insurance.” Vitter called the report “an important contribution to the debate.” [Times-Picayune, 9/15/09]
RON JOHNSON WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 900,715 WISCONSINITES
· Johnson: Rep. Ryan Has Laid Out “Common Sense Approaches” on Entitlement Reform In May 2010, Johnson praised Rep. Paul Ryan’s privatization plan. He said, “You know, in his “Roadmap for America,” [Paul Ryan] starts laying out some possibilities, I think some common-sense approaches, on you know, recognizing the fact that, I mean, when these programs were implemented, life expectancy was far shorter. You know, so, life expectancy has gone on. So I mean, you have to recognize that reality and start making adjustments to the program to figure out how you can keep these things sustainable so they’re around for people.” [Johnson Wisconsin Eye Campaign 2010 Interview, 5/26/2010]
JOHN BOOZMAN WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 527,051 ARKANSANS
· Boozman Voted to Replace Medicare With a Private Program. In April 2009, Boozman voted for a GOP alternative budget by Rep. Paul ryan that called for "replacing the traditional Medicare program with subsidies to help retirees enroll in private health care plans." [Star Tribune, 4/03/09; Vote 191, 4/02/09]
ROY BLUNT WANTS TO END MEDICARE FOR 992,968 MISSOURIANS
· Blunt Voted to Replace Medicare With a Private Program. In April 2009, Blunt voted for a GOP alternative budget by Rep. Paul ryan that called for "replacing the traditional Medicare program with subsidies to help retirees enroll in private health care plans." [Star Tribune, 4/03/09; Vote 191, 4/02/09]
· Blunt: Government Should Never Have Gotten In The Health Care Business. During a radio appearance on The Eagle 93.9, Blunt suggested that government should never have gotten in the health care business, citing Medicare and Medicaid as examples of government intervening in the health care business “in a big way.” HOST MIKE FERGUSON: What is the proper role of government, and what are the potential impacts of the direction that we're going right now? BLUNT: Well, you could certainly argue that government should have never have gotten in the health care business, and that might have been the best argument of all, to figure out how people could have had more access to a competitive marketplace. Government did get into the health care business in a big way in 1965 with Medicare, and later with Medicaid, and government already distorts the marketplace.” [The Eagle 93.9, 7/10/09; St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 7/10/09]
· Blunt: "Medicare Has Never Done Anything To Make People More Healthy.” During a July 2009 campaign event in Hannibal, Blunt said Medicare had never done anything to make people healthier. BLUNT: "We've had Medicare since 1965, and Medicare has never done anything to make people more healthy. If there's any opportunity for more healthy activity, it's going to be, again, a private, competitive industry..." [Becky Thatcher’s, Hannibal MO, 7/25/10; Missouri Democratic Party; Fired Up Missouri, 7/29/09]
JANE NORTON AND KEN BUCK WANT TO END MEDICARE FOR 606,009 COLORADANS
· Norton: Government Shouldn’t Be In Health Care Business. In January 2010, Norton called on supporters to sign an online petition “if you agree that the government shouldn’t be in the health care business.” “Health care needs real, common-sense reforms. A government mandated, and government controlled, health care system is not the solution… If you agree that the government shouldn't be in the health care business, show your opposition by signing this petition today.” [www.janenorton.com, Accessed 1/5/10]
· Buck Questioned Federal Government’s Role in Running Health Care Programs. As reported by Politico, “At a March forum, Buck said. ‘The idea that the federal government should be running health care or retirement or any of those programs is fundamentally against what I believe. And that is that the private sector runs programs like that far better.’” [Politico, 6/28/10]
Medicare state statistics found at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/index.jsp
Speaking of...
-
The Republican war on birth control
February 9, 2012Let's have a roll call on this one. Sen. Marco Rubio has responded to the Obama administration's effort to prevent birth control discrimination by introducing legislation, with 26 Republican co-sponsors, that would allow any employer to deny contraception coverage under a group health insurance policy. /more/
-
Republicans suddenly not so hawkish on budget cuts
January 11, 2012Told you so. Arkansas Republican budget hawks suddenly aren't so hawkish when the budget cuts reach programs that serve Arkansas. /more/
-
1 percenters rule with Senate Republicans
December 8, 2011Senate Republicans today filibusteredthe nomination of Richard Crodray to head the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. /more/
-
Banzai Boozman
December 7, 2011"Classicide" is not a word, yet, but we'll need something like it ("economic cleansing"?) if Republicans win their war on the middle class. You can't expect mercy from a party of John Boozmans. /more/
-
The postoffice fight
November 14, 2011Sometimes it doesn't seem a week goes by without a story in the Democrat-Gazette about the effort to prevent closure of a small crossroads postoffice. /more/
- More »
Comments (23)
Showing 1-23 of 23
Why is medicare even an issue? I thought we had "Obamacare" now?
I guess old habits die hard. Big lib dems won't ever give up mediscare tactics and telling old folks mean Wepublicans are going to starve them, take away their medicine, throw them out on the street and basically kill them if they don't continue to vote the hard demmy big lib socialist line.
like
dislike
Again and again and again!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is no Obamacare and you know it. We wanted single payer and what we got was the current industry with their 30% overhead and excessive pay and bonuses being told they get everyone with few exceptions. No one is writing a check to the giovernment for any healthcare except Medicare and most don't write a check on that as it comes from their social security check.
I take it you are hoping that you don't have a heart scare or they find cancer as even with a good plan, you can expect to see $1000s out of your pocket if not the total bill because you failed to mention that you had a mental issue on your ap[plication form.
The current system isn't working and in this little state with 35-40% without health insurance, if you do have health insurance coverage you are paying a large percentage of the bill for everyone who doesn't. That is in addition to your taxes paying for Medicaid. Do you really think that the direct cost of a catscan is $19,000 (a few years ago) for one nurse to administer one drug and a tech to run a test for an hour. Yes, the machine costs a small fortune but the hospitals must spread out all those uninsured costs over the fewer and fewer who do have insurance. That's why it goes up 15-40% a year for private coverage, if you can get it at all.
And you can expect that if those of Medicare age (65+) go into the private market, the costs will be 3-10 times what Medicare costs with its 3% overhead and no bonuses.
http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article…
It's been time for a single-payer system in America.
Americans need to get serious about voting for candidates who support universal health care. I've had enough of politicians like Max Baucus who are nothing but whores of the health insurance industry.
Dems and Repubs could care less about the average American. They will sell us out to the highest bidder. Look at the vote this week for more funding for the war in spite of most Americans being against the war and wanting the troops to come back home.
Time to vote Green and Democratic Socialist.
So they pass a huge health care system plan, but we still "have no health care." Ahhhh ritey then. So we get to continue to hear forever in time "democrats are for health care," but they never actually pass one. They are just "for" it.
Too bad Republicans can't figure out we need to take responsibility for those who cannot care for themselves. That included many of the elderly who often simply sat home and waited to die before Medicare. That included those who might have tried to save for their retirement before Social Security only to find their bank closed and their savings gone during the depression.
So let's see. We end Medicare and employer based insurance plans which have more clout in terms of pricing and coverage than an individual.
In their place, we allow, allow I say, our elderly and infirm -- oh, heck, even the healthy among us who trip over the cat and break a hip -- to fall to their knees and scrape their foreheads to the ground, begging a medical insurance company to provide them affordable coverage.
Try that last, and be sure you remember EVERYTHING medical which happened to you over your lifetime. 'Cause if you have a substantial claim for the first three years with Blue Cross Blue Shield for example, you're gonna have 'em going over your application with a microscope. Can you say weaseling?
Republicans, and others, who actually buy into this nonsense are idiots. The rest? Fat cats all.
Then why hasn't your precious Obama and the Democratic congress delivered for you? Could it be they're all frauds? So when are you going to quit clinging to the dem spin that they are "for healthcare" when they never deliver. And don't give me anything about Republicans because if the dems can't deliver now with both houses and the Presidency, when will they?
Almost all Republican politicians suck.
Many Democratic politicians suck, but some Democratic politicians do not.
Hence, we are better off with Democrats in power, even though it's far from ideal.
It must be election season.
Democrats are dusting off their "scare old people" playbooks.
Must be getting desperate since we're not even in August yet.
I was just referring to the whining, that to me sounded like it added up to "we have no health care." Don't get me wrong, I'm for a good health care bill if it makes sense and doesn't do the wrong things, but why is it that big lib dems are always for health care but never deliver?
You know.....what pisses off Republican-Corporatist is when they find some goods or services being dispensed by the government. That means some rich white Republican doesn't get the chance to stick it in and break it off.
Replacing Medicare with some private plan would spawn the next Rockefeller family who would of course contribute some of their wealth back to the Republican Party. Of course to make this neat trick work, you and I would have to pay double for whatever was done under the private plan....because the new Rockefellers wouldn't be happy unless they cleared a pure billion profit the first year in business.....and 2 billion the next year, and 5 billion the next. PROFIT MY BOY.....THAT'S WHAT REPUBLICANS LIVE FOR!
It's capitalism on crack...that's what we're living today. A close friend of mine is a lawyer for a giant nursing home chain and he tries to be a Democrat, he really does, but he was over here bitching about the cuts in Medicare that are coming from Obama in the near future. His giant, sprawling, company is scared to death.
I pointed out that Ma's Medicare and Medicaid were charged 5900 per month even though she required no special care, had 3 little cat food dinners per day, lived in a 25 year old hospital bed in a 45 year old room she shared with a dying woman and her drugs cost a little over 300 dollars per month. Where was all that money going, I asked?
Well...I just didn't understand how thin a margin this giant company operated on. By god they're barely making ends meet. Though they have the largest office building taking up a whole mountain top on the edge of Fort Baptist.....they just hardly made any money....you see....sniff sniff
Well...that's bullshit. He talked about the cost of nurses and CNAs and I talked about Ma's rest home who hired nurses who had been drummed out of every other hospital in Arkansas and those costly CNAs....making minimum wage, working 16 hour double shifts several times per week to make ends meet....but my friend was busy talking about how we just don't understand how poor, giant corporations are these days. Bless em, heart.....
The modern fantasy is to make so much money every year that you never have to worry about nothing. Nice fantasy! But in order to do it, Boozman's friends have to bleed us just to the point of dying, then they let up a while....if you're lucky.
Government workers don't go to work each day looking to make a fortune off the first sap they deal with. Why....that sentence is nails on a chalkboard to Republicans. God wants them to suck dry the saps....it's in the Bible, so they think.
If Boozman can kill the US Mail and let a Hutchinson take it over to run as a private enterprise.... oh god....think of the riches to be made! And those public school systems! 50 rich white Republican families could make trillions if schools were taken private.
Yeah....everything operated by the government is robbing a Republican of their rightful profits. If only one of them could take oxygen private! If only the Atlantic Ocean could be acquired by Wal-Mart! Why not a private
Rapture, John? A private takeover of God would put Republicans on Easy Street.....ever think of that? God's old...he's had his shot...start quietly buying up his shares like Rupert Murdoch....Halliburton Heaven is within your grasp!
Average party identification of registered/likely voters is currently:
38.1% Democratic
35.3% Republican
21.6% independent
Ref: http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/party-id-…
I'm neither a Republican nor a Democrat nor a member of any other party. So, that makes me an independent. However, I cannot imagine voting for a Republican.
So, I am not a classic "swing" voter that alternates between Democrats and Republicans. Instead, I usually vote Green or Democratic.
The independent voter block is large enough and dissatisfied enough with the two major parties to form a viable third party.
The people who are not registered or who are unlikely to vote even if they are registered constitute yet another group that is large enough to form a viable third party.
In fact, if the non-voters and the independent voters got together, they could have a party larger than either the Democrats or the Republicans.
Boozeman is just another death merchant. He's like the old bigots I appreciated most... because he bellows out his hate and stupidity for all to plainly hear. It's the soft spoken Pryor, Ross' and Lincoln's who we should fear most... because their subtle ways fool far too many. The D's really only disagree with Boozemans delivery style at best... not his goals.
The real problem is Dems just delivered a Dole Romney plan which will keep our nations health care expenditures at 17 plus percent of GDP while not caring for all... and placing a huge new burden on those who can least afford it as well as continued burden on cost of doing business in the USA. That is far far above any of the 35 countries (usually 11 percent or less of their GDP), which do a better job at care delivery and costs.
If Max and other Democrats keep allowing Boozmans of the world to drag you down so far you cannot even discuss reason, common sense, attempts/demands to get us to comparable cost of 35 nations who do far better than us... then you just sit in fear of the Republicans in a manner which allows them to win with Democrats help anyway. That's exactly how the Ross Lincoln Pryor's thrive in your sham of a D party.
If you sit in constant worry and fear of the fact Satan Boozman and his ilk wants your money and soul all of your life... then you are miserable and Satan wins. Demand much better now... when much better is obvious and so very easy to do!
Hume,
There are a lot of indepedent voters that would rather vote Green, independet, etc. before Republican, but the ranks of the independents have swellled in the last few years because of the two largest party side-steppin' toward their opponents to "WIN at all costs."
Maybe one day the Democrats and Republicans will get back to serving constituents instead of playing them to bash their opponents, but as long as we allow the parties to play us, nothing will change.
>>but why is it that big lib dems are always for health care but never deliver?<<
Try 150 Republican amendments to the recent HCR bill. Apparently you have no idea of how Congressional committees operate.
.
They can stack their votes in committee and vote it out of committee. They don't have to accept Republican amendments. They can even make the committees with 4 or 5 or more over majority in case a few balk at chairman's orders. You can have excuses and play the "we may not have done anything, but neither did they" game all you want. But it looks ridiculous when they are in power and they are constantly complaining about not being able to do anything because of the minority.
....Dead Soldiers...Private Insurance...Death benefits.
Pass this along to anyone who has a relative killed in the military. This was Bush's plan.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-28/f…
>>They can stack their votes in committee and vote it out of committee. They don't have to accept Republican amendments. <<
As mentioned, you have no idea of how it works.
.
Not to worry! eLwood assured us on July 29 at 4:58 p.m. that Social Security is fine. The 5 myths were a comfort to my ole grannies soul. You better be right eLwood. I am counting on you.
Why do the RE'REs insist on calling our allies socialists? I wish our country could hold
healthcare to a higher priority then defense issues. More lives are at stake. One day our nation will wake up and say, "why didn't our grandparents see that quality health care for everyone is homeland defense?
We are giving Al Qaeda and the Taliban power over us, all the while our nation is wasting away by preventable medical problems. Heck, the war against drugs is also unwinable. We need the war against fat. Or the war against the rise of Autism!!!
Our founding fathers, if enlightened with our knowledge, technology and knowhow, would have insisted on the right of universal healthcare for every man woman and child in the union. They would see that the cost-to-life ratio would weigh more consequential than anything else the government could wrangle. They would say: "By the grace of God and our ingenuity, health care no longer merits the designation of luxury. Lack of heath care is now a limiting factor to liberty. Health care shall be a human right of all men".
Man, sometimes I think Repubs would denounce Christ himself as a bleeding heart homosexual. They would certainly NOT vote for Jesus, let alone follow his advise.
Blake B. KCMO
The Democrats in the conference committtee need to separate out every Republican amendment on every bill where the originator of the amendment doesn't vote for the final bill. If you don't care enough to vote for what was added in your name then it doesn't deserve to be in the final bill. Of course, that takes some guts.
On John Boozman's facebook he wrote: What do you think about the new health care law? Hear my thoughts in this interview I did with the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.BigGovHealth |
Congressman John Boozman
www.biggovhealth.org
one of commenters wrote to Boozman:
John, like you I don't care about the poor. I could care less if somebody loses their insurance because they made too many claims. And those uninsured children...as long as they're not mine, you know. I glad you're concerned about not stopp...ing the tax breaks, why should someone making 350 thousand a year be asked to pay an extra 3600 in taxes, just not fair. BTW, what have you done with the $8,000 automatic pay increase you got this year? I'm glad Scott Brown took out that part of finance reform that would tax hedge funds.... always hurting people with money to invest, huh. BTW, I agree with your party, those bums that got laid off at Walmart are just too lazy to find a job... they would rather live off the unemployment check they get. Keep up the fight for the people that matter..... we can count on you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I couldn't believe it when I read that cold comment. I thought he was kidding, but he wasn't! Wow!
Author Archives
-
Failure to deliver for veterans UPDATE
Stephens Media columnist Steve Brawner takes off from the fight over placement of a veterans service center in Little Rock to the failure of the country to adequately serve millitary people when they come home from the wars they've fought.
- Jan 20, 2012
-
Reese Witherspoon to star in 'Devil's Knot'
Mara Leveritt sends news. Variety reports that Reese Witherspoon will star in the film version of Leveritt's book "Devil's Knot" about the West Memphis Three case.
- Dec 15, 2011
- More »
Event Calendar
-
Re: Mike Huckabee lie about Obama? We report, you decide
Here's a clue, Orville:
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2008…- on February 10, 2012
-
Re: Obama administration guarantees free contraception
"I suggest that you talk to the Administrator of Medicare because he also agrees with…
- on February 10, 2012
-
Re: Thank goodness, it's Friday
Outlier, your friend is rich beyond most folks' wildest dreams to have you. Zelda, shame…
- on February 10, 2012
Top Commenters
Blogroll
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
