It’s hard to imagine a more terrible twosome than Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Joe Lieberman (Asshole-CT). This Republican, and his former DINO and Republican wannabe sidekick, are loaded for big game. They are targeting Granny, because they want to take away her Medicare.
Ugh. They’re back. Sens. Joe Lieberman and Tom Coburn are trying to put the catfood in the Catfood Commission II, pressing the Super Congress punish seniors.
Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) are pressing the deficit-reduction supercommittee to consider their proposal to cut more than $500 billion in Medicare spending over ten years.[…]
They urged the panel to review the Medicare reform plan they released in June.
It would increase the share that beneficiaries pay into the program to account for 35 percent, instead of 25 percent, of Medicare revenues. It would also require higher income earners to pay a greater share of Medicare Part B, which covers doctors’ visits, and Part D, which covers prescription drugs.
Lieberman and Coburn would require people 65 and older who make more than $150,000 annually to pay the full cost of Part B coverage and full premium costs for Part D.
The plan was roundly rejected by Democrats when it was introduced in June… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Daily Kos>
Most seniors cannot afford an increase in their Medicare cost. Although raising the rates even more for the rich may sound progressive, it is not. If Medicare provides benefits to the poor for less, it ceases it to be a true entitlement program, and becomes a welfare program. Medicare is a true entitlement program now, because beneficiaries have spent their entire working lives, since it passed, paying for the benefits they now receive. We are entitled, because we earned it. Changing it to a welfare program only makes it easier for Republicans to target it later for their true goal, a scheme to replace Medicare with a coupon, with no guarantee of care.
I have no doubt that Coburn has the Hypocrite Oath on his wall. As for Traitor Joe, since he insists on goose-stepping with Republicans, The Democratic Caucus in the Senate should strip him of the Homeland Security Chair.
9 Responses to “Coburn and LIEberman target seniors”
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They are correct, people like us staying alive through decent medical care has become too expensive for the country that has spent it’s surplus on unfunded republican programs like war, which is just another way to ensure a few thousand more Americans will not have to collect that paid for by working all of our lives, even though they are directly responsible for shortening some of them, benefit.
Well, there is only one party that can change that, but we need to change the party from big tent to progressive coalition.
The damm fools seem to think , older adults are stupid , and they seem to believe younger adults are preoccupied with themselves!
We , all of us , pay into Social Security all of our lives– it is an insurance program– !! Included is the “right” to Medicare , which is not free!!
My husband and I pay $1000 per month for medicare, part B; supplemental coverage and part D– drugs—$ 500 each!!
These things are never mentioned- the impression given by clowns like these is that medicare is a freebie benefit , given out of the generosity of their grinch-like hearts- instead of an earned and paid for benefit.
Means testing for medicare just moves it into a welfare program- exactly as you said-!
I pay almost half that. I went with no health care for so long that I need premium health care because of the damage done from having none.
Quite right Tom, although there is no law to say that if you happen to be a mega millionaire reaping the benefits of your “entitlements” that you couldn’t “request” to forego any such “entitlement” – to benefit the poor (of course) – same goes for all “entitlements”! then again no one’s keeping Buffet from offering to pay for his secratarie’s taxes either – who’s saying it’ll be a cold day in hell?
Lee, nobody is forced to apply for their Social Security or Medicare benefits. But all who have paid all their lives for them, rich or poor, deserve them.
I know I can’t afford an increase in my Medicare costs. They are slowly trying to kill us all.
That’s the RepubliCare death benefit.
Thank you Phyllis for sharing the costs of your health insurance plan. In the past I never had real numbers to go by as far as coverage costs, so some of our discussions were a bit airy-fairy. But this brings it right home clearly.
Here, north of the 49th, we hear about the expense of American healthcare. We are warned never to go south of the 49th without substantial travel insurance. And we are fighting against governments that want to privatise some aspects of the healthcare. Here, healthcare is a provincial matter primarily so prices and coverage may vary, but every province must comply with the Canadian Health Act.
In BC where I live, I have single coverage medical. My premium is $61 per month and that covers all doctor’s appointments, hospital coverage, and because I am a diabetic, optometrist visits. As to prescription drugs, Fair Pharmacare is income based so the higher your income, the higher your deductible. If you have coverage through your employer, that is considered first before Fair Pharmacare coverage. My drug costs would be about $4,800 per year if I paid it all. Now because I am unemployed, my deductible is $500 per year and the rest is covered under Fair Pharmacare, well much of it anyways. There are two drugs, one very expensive, that aren’t covered because I also take insulin. The fact that these 2 drugs help the insulin be more effective is lost on the bureaucrats. Two weeks ago, I walked out of the pharmacy with $300 worth of drugs without paying a penny.
I agree that means testing does move it to a welfare programme. I guess though, it depends upon how the proposed means test is designed. But what about all the people that don’t have health insurance? Serious conditions go undiagnosed until it is too late, or before major damage is done. Universal health care is not perfect, but it is, I think, better than the American system as I understand it.
People like Lieberman and Coburn are nothing more than Republican thugs trying to suck the life out of the American people. Seniors are the ones that built on foundations started by previous generations. They should not be told to shrivel up and die — you don’t matter anymore.