Americans 'Very Concerned' GOP Budget Will Force Elderly From Nursing Homes: Poll

WASHINGTON -- Democrats are getting set to ramp up the budget cut rhetoric with a new message: Don't throw grandma from the nursing home.

The messaging comes after new polling by a Democratic-aligned polling firm found that messages about the impacts of the House Republican budget plan on elderly Medicaid recipients resonate even more powerfully than criticism about its impact on Medicare.

The budget blueprint crafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) turns the healthcare system for the elderly into a private program, which will double the cost of healthcare in 10 years for future seniors, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The Ryan privatization plan is deeply unpopular: Fresh polling by Bloomberg released Thursday found that Americans think they would be worse off if Ryan's Medicare proposal is adopted by a margin of 57 percent to 34 percent -- including 58 percent of electorally key independents who dislike the plan.

But the new polling by Anzalone Liszt Research, the Democratic-aligned polling firm, found an even more dramatic response on Medicaid if respondents are told of the impacts seniors face.

Told that the Ryan budget "would cut $750 billion from Medicaid, including funding for 80 percent of nursing home residents, forcing many seniors to be kicked out of their nursing homes," 63 percent of respondents said they were "very" concerned. That figure was 69 percent for seniors and 64 percent for independents.

About 64 percent of senior nursing home residents depend on Medicaid as the primary means of paying for their housing. Still more rely on Medicaid for other expenses or to be able to stay in their own homes.

The polling firm concluded those numbers make the issue a winner for Democrats, and they advise using similar language to bring the message home to voters.

Democrats, however, are not about to drop the complaints about the impacts of Ryan's plan on Medicare, which are widely credited with helping Democrats win the New York special election that propelled Rep. Kathy Hochul into a seat long held by the GOP.

In fact the pollsters found that while the Medicaid-nursing home question elicits the greatest concern, there are several issues that tip likely voters' meters over into "very concerned" territory.

The ideas include that pre-existing medical conditions would no longer be covered, that Ryan's plan privatizes Medicare, that Ryan's budget hits seniors while sparing oil companies and that the Medicaid cuts would hurt children and the disabled in addition to the elderly.

The poll was done for Protect Your Care and the Herndon Alliance.

Comments

[vigoddess]

02:17 PM on 06/27/2011

When a controversial article appears in Huffingtonpost and responses
are monitored equally controversially, because the subject matter affects
so many, with little recourse, why is it a problem to take the same
article hyping a subject by the writer, and disallowing the responses
that not only have emotional heft, but are viewpoints from another
writer, so that all levels are fairly accountable.
The purpose here is that the people have an outlet and a resource
to be involved in happenings today, when it is affecting their
lives. Do I have to get permission to leave the room
to be approved all the time?

[kburgoyne]

02:29 PM on 06/25/2011

What ever happened to having some respect for your seniors being an American value? Republicans keep SAYING they are strong upholders of "American values". Really? Tell me another joke while you're at it. There are a long list of things where the Republicans talk the talk in order to get elected, but they absolutely do not walk the walk once they get elected.

Hopefully everyone remembers the Republicans 2010 mantra "we learned out lessson, we'll listen to the American people this time, honest, and we focus like a laser on jobs, jobs and jobs." Okay... Day 170 since the Republicans took the House using those promises. Still no jobs bills. They've been busy trying to throw seniors out on the street instead.

One can only conclude after their "we'll listen to the American people this time" that Republicans are flat-out stone deaf.

[kburgoyne]

02:24 PM on 06/25/2011

The CBO recently released its June 2011 long term deficit forecast. For the second year in a row, it shows how the Democrat's Affordable Health Care Act will keep the deficit essentially level in relation to GDP. This year it even shows the deficit being slightly lower than last year's projections. The projections from the two years prior to the Health Care Act show the deficit taking off like a rocket due to skyrocking health care costs.

I'm still baffled by how people continue to think Republicans are fiscally responsible. They're absolutely not. Democrats continue to demonstrate far better long term fiscal responsibility than Republicans.

Republicans actually ADVOCATE increased deficits because it provides them with an excuse to slash and burn the government. Don't think that's true? Consider all the slash and burn spending cuts the Ryan Budget performs, but yet IT DOESN'T LOWER THE DEFICIT. How can that be remotely possible or even sane?

You cut all the spending, and you don't lower the deficit? Huh? It's because his budget immediately turns around and gives away all these savings to the wealthy and corporations in the form of even MORE tax breaks. Why would anybody in their right mind do such a thing if their goal was actually to cut the deficit?

[Frank Leyda]

01:37 PM on 06/25/2011

I am a Medicaid resident in a rest home. This will not kick residents out of the rest homes because they have not place else to go !
What will happen is that the rest homes will have to cut staff and utilities costs and the rest homes will become like dog kennels.

[kburgoyne]

02:18 PM on 06/25/2011

Your point is valid. However, it's also true that there is a limit to how much cutting rest homes will be able to do. An increase in the number of homeless seniors would be very likely. Republicans don't really mind homeless seniors because they can just label homeless people as lazy bums who are on the street by their own choice -- completely ignoring the skyrocking costs of health care.

[Frank Leyda]

02:48 PM on 06/25/2011

You may be right.
The rest homes will just close and then we will be out on the streets.
Not for long however.
In our condition we will soon be in Emergency Rooms and Hospitals and the cost of our care will go up.
A rest home is an example of "Economy of Scale".

[Trittydi]

10:13 AM on 06/25/2011

And they're right to be worried - and that's just for starters.

If republicans have their way - seniors won't have any social security or any medicare . They'll have nothing.

We'll be back to where we were before Roosevelt when they were poverty stricken and dying for lack of health care.

Absolutely this is where republicans intend to take this country.
*

[crosscheck]

07:40 AM on 06/25/2011

The republicans need taken out spiritually or physically.

[crosscheck]

07:38 AM on 06/25/2011

Please get somebody besides Obama to run the Dem propaganda machine. Somebody with a brain right now can almost take out the republican where it becomes irrelevant.

[Trittydi]

10:15 AM on 06/25/2011

Translation to English please?
*

[structurequity]

12:00 AM on 06/25/2011

Having cared for my mother in her final three years of dementia and Alzheimer the medicare doughnut left me straddling the financial pit now and then (out of pocket) to get the high priced prescriptions she so needed to have a modicum of relief. Reflecting on how it could have been, how her HMO arranged for Hospice care in a truly high quality nursing home for her final moments. All this because Medicare was the umbrella. Thus, the reality of older people being put out on the street or given a voucher to find a bed and a roof over their head is to me cruel beyond words.

[kburgoyne]

03:06 PM on 06/25/2011

Have you noticed the Republicans scream "that's not fair" whenever somebody tries to put a human face on their ideology? The old school traditional conservatives still had a touch of humanity to them. This new school of neoconservatives is nothing but a bunch of psychopaths who worship avarice as the solution to everything.

The facts overwhelmingly show that Medicare is about three times more efficient than private health insurance, but yet they just don't care. They want the money flowing into private insurance company executive bonuses instead of being used for actual health care.

[titoisme]

10:45 PM on 06/24/2011

GOP is bad..mkay

[Judy Rauch]

01:52 PM on 06/24/2011

Gee look at the rest of the world looking at us killing seniors, High unemployment, no middle class, trains from last century, bad roads no super highways and on and on and we think we should be telling other countries to become America guess that may be a thing of the past huh. China is growing Canada is doing well and us we are so far behind times cause we are spendind I heard this moening 19 million building roads in Afghanastan No money here tho huh GOP for our roads. Yes the GOP is certainly making us look bad,

[kburgoyne]

03:12 PM on 06/25/2011

Ya sure, but the US is very strong when it comes to having the majority of our country's wealth owned by the fewest number of people. :-)

[wdmosely]

01:23 PM on 06/24/2011

The GOP is determined to change Medicaid into a block grant to the States program. This all but insure Grandama will be out on the street.

And with some ConservaDems siding with the GOP, this is all but a done deal. I am thinking this is what is being included in the debt ceiling talks.

Here in Texas were looking at possibly 70,000 seniors getting the notice that they will have to make other living arrangements by Friday cause Senior Villa is closing their doors. An once those Hospital beds are wheeled out on the street, how long do you think they will stay alive without care.

And everyone know that GrandMa staying in the living room can only last so long before the family loses it. The bed pans stink big time.

[David Christensen]

01:17 PM on 06/24/2011

I'm remembering back to health care reform. No single payer option, no strong reform to prevent private companies from making a dime on people's pain and suffering. It's all a secret plot to kill our grandmothers. And now here the GOP is trying to force seniors and future seniors to work themselves to death.

[Judy Rauch]

01:43 PM on 06/24/2011

They are going to kill us one way or another. Republicans and Tea Baggers hate seniors why I do not know since many in Congress like McConnell ,McCain etc fits the bill. There is no common sense at all in DC and the world anymore maybe we should all just take a pill when we reach a certain age like say retiremnet age and that would please them except they would gripe if we could not afford the pill. Do none of these guys have parents? What do they think of what are doing just wondering. So much for them being Christians thats a wash for sure

[metogamekun]

07:40 AM on 06/25/2011

Logan's Run. The light in the palm of your hand goes out and it's time to go.

[BebeLush]

12:50 PM on 06/24/2011

Elderly people in this country have overwhelmingly supported the Repugs for years. Glad to see them finally getting their comeuppance.

[Gestas]

11:44 AM on 06/24/2011

Face it !.....If your not in the Top Two Percent....As far as the Republicans are concerned your SOL.

[Judy Rauch]

01:43 PM on 06/24/2011

How true

[SisterAnn]

11:09 AM on 06/24/2011

Programs that help the poor, help businesses more. The government has made sure that the health care industry makes a lot of money off of their services to the poor.

If a person had $100,000 savings in the bank and no Medicare or Social Security coming in, they would use their savings in 3 years.