The Republicans are very upset that their vote for Representative Ryan's plan to end Medicare is being used against them. The loss of an upstate New York congressional seat that they held for 50 years was quite a shock. Furthermore, groups are already using this vote in attack ads around the country to threaten incumbents.
This could be really bad news for their election prospects in 2012 since Medicare is a hugely popular program. Polls consistently show that the program has enormous public support among all political and demographic groups. Not only do Democrats and independents overwhelmingly support the Medicare program, even Republicans overwhelmingly approve of Medicare. Even Tea Party Republicans overwhelming approve of Medicare.
The same story holds by age group. Of course Medicare has the greatest support among the over-65 age group that currently depends on it, but the program even draws large majority support among young voters who hope to be able to rely on the program in their retirement. Republicans could try to extend the vote to 10-year-olds, but this route probably does not hold much promise.
Republicans can try to keep people from talking about their vote. This was the path pursued by New Hampshire Representative Charlie Bass who tried to keep television stations from running ads that said that he voted to end Medicare. The problem is that this effort runs up against the first amendment. Even a court dominated by right-wing judges is unlikely to allow Republicans to block their political opponents from talking about their vote to end Medicare in political ads.
Of course they could look to buy up the media outlets and then refuse to take the ads. They already have Fox and the Washington Post, but there are probably still too many independent outlets to make this a feasible strategy in advance of the 2012 elections.
The Republicans can try to deny that their plan actually ends Medicare and hope that voters will be sufficiently confused that they won't hold the vote against them. They have already been staking out this ground, claiming that they just want to "change" Medicare. Instead of saying that they would give beneficiaries a voucher to use to buy a health insurance policy, which would allow people to understand their proposal, they are instead saying that it is a system of "premium support," which is a term that no one understands.
This may help with a few pundits, but if the Republicans can't keep their political opponents from pointing out that their plan actually does replace Medicare's insurance with a voucher system, this silly charade will not buy them much. People know the difference between being handed a check for $8,000 and being told to go buy insurance and the current Medicare system, which covers most of the cost of most care. According to the Congressional Budget Office, this difference comes to $39 trillion over Medicare's 75-year planning period, more than five times the size of the projected Social Security shortfall.
As a practical matter, it doesn't look like the Republicans will either be able to keep their opponents from talking about their vote to end Medicare or to convince the public that they didn't really vote to end Medicare. However the Republicans do still have a third option: admit that the vote was a mistake and reverse it.
This is a rare opportunity that is still available to Congressional Republicans. Usually when we do bone-headed things we don't get a do over. We have to live with the consequences and try to make amends as best we can.
But the Republicans still control the House. They could simply hold another vote tomorrow and repeal the budget plan calling for the end of Medicare. They can probably even persuade Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to give the Republicans in the Senate the opportunity to reverse their vote on Medicare as well.
So there is it is, a simple plan that could possibly save dozens of Republican congressional seats in 2012. This is the sort of advice for which they would pay political consultants millions. But the Republicans can get it here for free. If they were smart, they would take it.
He thinks having Medicap and the Prescription D program cause people to use Medicare more. That isn't true of me or anyone I know. I hate going to the doctor and once I walk in the door I have no control over prices or even most procedure they use to test my health.
The doctors need to have a set plan for each patient's complaint and follow that to the T, then charge a set amount on that. The plan could be written up by doctors who excel in their fields.
How can you say we have the most cost effective healthcare system in the world? We pay twice as much as any country for our health care and have worse results.
There is no free market in this country for health care.
Medicare pays 80% on most costs of medical care that they approve of. They don't approve of high gouging charges. You can buy a supplemental Medicap insurance and Prescripton D insurance. Medicap helps a lot. The prescription D is pathetic. They have raised the price of some drugs so high that you can't afford not to have prescription insurance, but what they pay is very little until you get out of the donut hole.
I think I would not have insurance if I had to go back to private insurance.
And if you are a granny, look forward to being pushed of the Cliiiiiiiiifffffff.
Let me also enlighten you to the fact that the Republican Party don't represent the republican voter, the Tea Party value closely aligns the the majority of Republicans who are "Conservative".
Gold
Newt Gingrich gave a logical and rational critque of the Ryan Plan during his infamous Meet the Press interview when he said "it's too racial a change". Newt also said in that interview that people should be able to "migrate voluntarily" to better systems and better solutions.
Real money (defined as money you can spend) is taken out of your paycheck, (Note: SS was started under the Socialist, liberal, FDR) and placed into a Social Security Trust Fund. This oxymoron the (S.S.T.F) is not a trust or a fund it is a scam. The Real money that is place into this trust is immediately stolen and replaced with government obligations (bonds), (IOU's). The "Real Money is placed into the General Fund where the politicians (Both are guilty), but mostly democrats spend it on their "Special Interest Group" and entitlements. This fund is going broke and government is the blame but "We" bear the blame also, because we keep electing them.
If your old and on SS like I am, you have nothing to worry about, but your prodigy (Grandchildren) will suffer. That's typical of the liberal mind, they're selfish individuals whose every action always has a political motive not a humanitarian motive.
Gold
They's rather suffer the antipathy of most Americans than call their kindergarten colleagues on the disaster this will cause next year at the polls.
If greed,hypocrisy and deceit are even remotely equated to smart,these guy's are geniuses...
1. Trickle down
2. Cut taxes
3. Deregulate
4. Cut Social Security
5. Privatize Medicare
6. Bomb em
7. Market forces.
8. Freedom!
Ha ha funny, if it wasn't so sad.
2012 is really going to be a litmus test about what the people want and will put up with.
what do you suggest Congress does?
I would suggest there is a third option, Raise Taxes.
If the House GOP was serious about passing a Medicare Reform plan that would become law in the 112th Congress. Then they would scrap what they want to pass and work with Congressional Democrats and the White House to make happen.
If the President was serious, Dems serious, they would have a plan... leading from behind... that is the Presidents slogan.
Tell us again the fiscal justification for lowering taxes, particularly on the Rich, ... leaving them there for a decade, ... fighting two wars on credit, ...
And only then, complaining about the deficit.
Y'all, as they say, are a hoot!
The problem being that Republicants are playing 'bad cop' right now and as such are being irrational.
:-]