Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Health Care Republican decision time on Medicare
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 7:00 AM
Republicans face a defining vote on Medicare. Will House Republicans vote for a budget plan that effectively privatizes Medicare (a phrasing that Republicans hate)? The idea is to end the single-payer model for health coverage for seniors (the model by which we should supply all medical care in the U.S.) and replace it with a government subsidy of private insurance plans where the first 15 percent of money is lost to insurance company expenses and profit. Such plans on a trial basis have been a failure.
Republicans see electoral peril in this vote. They should. But some of that depends on the effectiveness of the Democratic response. It will not be enough to just brand Republicans as Medicare killers, however accurate that will be. Democrats also must have a plan.
But it will be fun to watch Republican Reps. Steve Womack, Rick Crawford and Tim Griffin as they vote and sloganeer. A poor state with a lot of old folks ought to be difficult terrain for upending the most popular government program after Social Security. But 2010 saw a lot of Arkansans vote contrary to their interest, in part because of that Muslim Kenyan from the madrassa at the top of the ticket. Womack, of course, is solid for whatever soak-the-poor program the Republicans have to offer. (And the Ryan long-term plan naturally includes more deficit-building tax cuts for the rich.) That's how his district thinks. The 1st and 2nd should be a mite different. Should be.
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Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
Ryancare steals 27% of the Medicare money (which is being borrowed thanks mostly to three Republican presidents) and gives it to the health insurance companies. Democrats must amend the bill so that overhead in Medicare spending does not exceed 3, no make that 4% (a 33% increase), over current Medicare overhead costs. Otherwise, it is stealing from grandma (and me).
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Ezra on Obama embracing Simpson/Bowles:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-k…
Language alert: We must quit acquiescing in the use of the word "privatize." What the Republicans want to do is "profitize" Medicare, to make sure that one dollar out of every four (or three, CBB's number may be a bit low) that we spend on medical care comes right off the top and goes straight to Wall Street's pocket before it gets close to a patient.
According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. currently ranks 31st among civilized nations in the overall (counting the 45 million uninsured) quality of our health care, but there's room at the bottom.
This is how the profiteers keep both D's and R's from even discussing much less doing the obvious, the humane, the affordable.
Health care should be established as a legal human right.
Costs should be as low or lower for our pool of 300 million plus citizens compared to all the other smaller countries who do much better than us across the board.
Outlaw the ability of government to subsidize a health profiteer in any manner... and negotiate drug prices too.
It's that simple... and neither corrupt party will do it. Criminals are still in charge!
About my Congressman, Womack: Recall in a interview regarding giving up gubmint perks... he said he wouldn't because "I need the money."
I don't think he was being greedy or fibbing. All Republicans elected to statewide and to Congressional offices are experiencing the best thing a fellow looks forward to-a pay increase. It's the highest paying job and best benefits package they've ever had.
Griffin, Crawford, Boozman and Womack have never made this much money with such a fine benefit package and the opportunity for permanent financial security via a taxpayer funded pension program.
Now should their personal pay increase and future financial security rest upon denying the poorest of us any health security, that's just the way it is.
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