Yesterday we discussed the Republican plans to gut Medicaid. Their plans for Medicare is no better They want to replace Medicare with a voucher system, and turning care over to big insurance companies. The bottom line is that seniors will pay far more for far less, and if far less is not enough, they receive the RepubliCare death benefit.
As House Republicans cue up their Medicare Phase-out legislation, we’re about to be treated, once again, to an example of how political actors use press cowardice to deceive the public. Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan, which is now the official Republican plan, phases out Medicare over 10 years. Yet you’ll be treated to numerous articles that call this a ‘reform’ or ‘overhaul’ or even ‘saving’ Medicare. But each are no better than straight outright deceptions, whether by design or ignorance.
The Medicare system has been in place in the United States for a bit more than 40 years. The premise is simple: once you hit retirement age you move into a single payer health care insurance system in which Medicare takes responsibility for your care, regardless of the state of your health or income level. There are copays. No one’s crazy about exactly how much is covered. Some doctors opt out. You’ve probably heard all of this at one point or another. But the key is that you’re in the program. And for the rest of your life you’re out of the private health insurance system. You’re covered. Permanently and on the same terms as everyone else.
Now, this isn’t just a good thing if you’re a senior or have parents who are seniors or have anyone in your life who’s a senior, which presumably means virtually everyone. It’s also just necessary for pretty obvious reasons.
We all know about pre-existing conditions. You’re a cancer survivor so no insurer will cover you. Or you have one of the myriad possible conditions that make you a bad risk. And no insurer wants to issue a policy for someone who odds say is likely to cost a lot of money. Well, guess what, people over 65 all have a preexisting condition: they’re old!
Now, not that people aren’t living longer and longer lives. And plenty of folks in their late 60s are in better health than folks 10 or 20 years younger. But by and large, we all know how this life thing works. When you hit your mid-60s or so, things start breaking down. And eventually, you die. That’s a bald way to put it. But we all understand that this is true. The simple truth is that for all the problems with private health insurance for the young and working age populations, it just doesn’t work for seniors.
We tried it. That’s why we ended up creating Medicare.
Now, you might say, how is it that the President’s health care reform has managed to ban insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions? Well, good question. But there’s a straightforward answer. Most younger and working age people don’t have chronic health problems. So if you can make sure that everybody is in the health care system — that’s what the mandate is about — you have enough revenues from premiums to offset the very high costs of the relatively small number with chronic conditions. But the same approach won’t work with seniors. Because, again, as a group old people just aren’t healthy enough. There are complicated health care economics ways of explaining it. But do the math. It’s obvious.
The Ryan plan is to get rid of Medicare and in place of it give seniors a voucher to buy health care insurance from private insurers. Now, what if you can’t buy as much as insurance or as much care as you need? Well, start saving now or just too bad… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <TPM>
One thing the author did not cover is that the government spends about 1% as a cost of administering the program. Big Insurance companies crave profit. Scratch 20% right there. That means seniors start out getting 20% less care. Ed Schultz and Wendell Potter voice their objections.
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Call your Congress critter! Call your Senators! Keep calling until this Republican plan to hijack seniors’ care to feed their greedy corporate cronies comes to rest in history’s outhouse, where it belongs.
10 Responses to “Don’t Let Republicans Destroy Medicare”
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2012 can’t come fast enough! These reckless radical Republicans have GOT to go—every last one of them!
One is one too many, Jack!
I heard about the voucher system. It’s the same way for schools. All it means is that insurance companies will raise their rates even higher. This provides a good source of income for insurance companies but doesn’t do anything to guarantee the availability of affordable insurance.
A second effect is that the government determines the size of the vouchers given out. It can, at any time, decide to reduce the amount below market minimums without penalty. It can reduce the voucher amounts to $0 if its determined the vouchers are a “drain” on the economy.
The question remains what will be done with the funds that are now in reserve for MediCare? Will they be placed in the General Fund to be spent as the Congress decides? I simply don’t trust them that much.
Blue, I think the funds will be spent on vouchers. Their goal here is to transfer the wealth to Big Insurance.
The insanity– sometimes I feel like Alice in Wonderland– down the rabbit hole looking for something to make sense—Damm it– Medicare works– the friggin’ Politicians have in place a federal system that is well managed- effective and WORKS— can’t the S- O-B s understand that ? It is all about the greed of the insurance companies– which BTW have moved most of their jobs to India and such places– Has anybody ever looked at how many jobs have been outsourced by insurance companies– The figures are outstanding–
The Greed never ends–
Phyllis, Medicare works is why Republicans hate it.
Medicare is the best of health care we have in the US. I am on it and know. I know of no one on it that doesn’t think it is good. The only problem is that every time we elect too many Republicans the try to destroy it. They increase premiums and deductibles. The part D was an attempt to try and destroy it. The $3600 donut hole was insane along with carrying another policy with deductibles and co-payments.Medicare always pays on time, no problems. With the private insurance you also have to carry, nothing but problems, late payments, they with hold payments, claim they were never billed by the providers, all B.S. Any one who works in a hospital or doctors office that handles insurance claims will tell you they have this billing problem with the insurance industry. All of them. They are criminal but no politicians want to touch them because they own them. Medicare is great and the whole country would be much better off if all were under the system. Then we would be rid of the parasites sucking over 500 billion out of health care. all cloud be covered. There would be no more Workmens compensation, or Medicade. All would be covered with pre existing conditions. We would no longer have some clerk in an insurance office saying you can’t have a particular drug or treatment. It would be left up to the doctor and patient. Enough of this far right wing Republican B.S. Lets get rid of all of them next election.
Welcome Pman! 🙂
Like you, I am on Medicare and agree that it is the best thing for retirees since tropical climates. May your solution be prophetic.
The tea bagging Republicans are completely nuts on the budget issue and Medicare. This is a wake up call to all seniors to vote out all Republicans next election 2012. You must give up party affiliation and get rid of those who want to destroy SS/Medicare. They are young Republicans that have no idea what they are doing to the nations elderly. You would be thrown on the mercy of the heartless insurance industry. Most would never be able to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions. Think of how many seniors have heart problems, no insurance . This insane system the baggers have come up with would leave most of our seniors with no insurance. Wake up America, we cannot let this insanity continue. Write your congressman, call fax those A ho–s supporting this B.S.
Pman, the difference is that the stupid Baggers don’t know. Their mainline Republican leaders do know want to take away lives to give tax cuts to millionaires.