The Republican "Do Not Resuscitate" Plan to Let Medicare Die

During a webcast meeting with Organizing for America on Thursday, President Barack Obama outed the covert Republican plot to strangle Medicare to financial death.

He explained to the group that if Congress does nothing, if health care reform fails, "Medicare will run out of money in eight years."

Obama and the Democrats are pressing for health care reform to provide people under 65 with some semblance of what those over 65 have - government-assured affordable medical insurance. At the same time, for Medicare, Obama said, "Part of what we want to do is strengthen it, so it is there over the long haul."

"It is not as if," he said, "if we just stand still, everything is going to be okay."

Immobility is exactly what Republicans want, however. "No change" is their slogan. They've offered zero substantive reform for health care. In the years when they controlled Congress and the White House under former President George W. Bush, they did nothing to repair financial problems with Medicare. In fact, they falsely minimized the price tag of the new prescription drug program, Medicare Part D, and drove up the cost by forbidding government negotiation for lower medicine prices. In addition, although they failed to accomplish it, they pressed to privatize that socialist program called Social Security -- just months before the stock market tanked.

This is philosophical warfare, and for the Republicans, Medicare is an appropriate casualty. The GOP has made it clear they believe the public option being proposed in health care reform is socialism - an evil that must be eradicated at all costs. Of course, Medicare, a government-sponsored health care program for all people over 65 actually is socialist.

It's a slippery slope. First Republicans kill the opportunity for all Americans under the age of 65 to choose their own private insurance or get government-sponsored health care under the public option. Then, by doing nothing, Republicans destroy the ability of those over 65 to retain their government-sponsored health care.

Senior citizens are more frightened about health care reform than anyone else. That may be, President Obama said, because they routinely need health care more than any other group. So lying to them about it, especially for political gain, is cruel and despicable.

It's true, Democrats want change. They seek to reform and improve the health care system so that Medicare is strengthened and funded for the future. For example, Obama noted, under the Democrats' plan, the "donut hole" in Medicare Part D, during which senior citizens must pay for their prescription medications, would be eliminated. President Obama got the pharmaceutical companies to step up and pay more - if Congress manages to pass reform.

A huge portion of the cost of health care reform would come from changes in the way the federal government pays for Medicaid and Medicare. What the Democrats want to change are payment methods that are just wrong. No bid contracts, for example. Introducing real capitalist competition in the system would reduce costs without affecting benefits. "No one is talking about messing with your Medicare benefits," Obama said, attempting in a mere statement to counter screaming "tea baggers" featured continuously on Fox News. Of the Democrats he said, "We think Medicare is a sacred trust."

On health care reform, the Republican plan to do nothing means death. Death for the public option. But also death for Medicare.

President Obama explained: "The status quo is unsustainable. If you like what you have now, unless we make some changes, you are not going to have what you like because health care costs are rising three times faster than wages. . . If you have a private plan, you have something to worry about. If you are on Medicare, you have something to worry about because we are going to run out of money."

Democrats are trying to resuscitate Medicare and deliver health care reform. Republicans are forming death panels to kill all of it.

 

Comments

[spinns17]

lets get it done america.call your reps .tell them to get it done.if we can fight 2 wars and give away jobs .we can give every american healthcare.

[Dale Jones]

I am continually surprised that as a people we seem to have so little concern for our fellow citizens and their welfare. I am constantly disappointed in government leadership whether Democrat or Republican that seems to be more concerned with re-election than with the will of the people. The one thing we all can agree upon is there is a problem with health care in this country. As a union member I know first hand how hard it is to keep our coverage while prices skyrocket and the demand for more money out of our own pockets continue. Maybe it is time to level the field. Maybe our Congressman should lose their health care if they lose thier re-election. Maybe they should be told they will pay fifty percent more for their coverage in two years. I believe there is a solution to our problems today. We the people will have to have our voices heard. I believe we can because this is America. As a nation we can do anything we set our minds to. So I urge you to call, write, e-mail your Senators and Representatives let your voice be heard. FIX THE PROBLEMS, NOT THE BLAME!

[Cheryl DeCero]

Here's a shout out to all who not only want to see true health care reform but also to those concerned about the sustainability of Medicare. Isn't it a cruel irony that those that stand to lose the most are the same people being manipulated by the far right extremist groups? Targeting our seniors makes this travesty all the more despicable.
We have been besieged at town halls, through the media, and even from the pulpit with their dangerously warped, misleading rhetoric and lies. Remember the significant role the pulpit played in 2004? Can we afford to just sit back now? Their heavily financed, fear mongering campaign was designed to halt progress, not preserve freedom. It's rollback time again in their eyes. Stop and think: where would we be if they had been successful in privatizing social security? A chilling thought, isn't it? Who would have been the victims hardest hit? BINGO.
Leo Gerard is a fighter and a visionary. He tells it straight and to the point like few have down so far. Clip this article out, post it at work and talk to everyone there, at home, and in your community. The same people refusing to support President Obama's plan are of the same cloth as those that refused to support social security and Medicare so many years ago. We all know how those donnybrooks turned out. True health care reform will not destroy our American way of life. It just might in fact help save it.

[rwcbanzai]

Single Payer for All – Universal Equality in Healthcare

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for ONE people to dissolve the political bands... to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and EQUAL station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God ENTITLE them, a Decent Respect to the opinions of HUMANKIND requires that they should declare the CAUSES which impel them... -
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all HUMANS are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain UNALIENABLE RIGHTS, that among these are LIFE, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."

Quoting our declaration of independence, to King George’s tyranny, war, unjust and repressive MONOPOLY laws in 21st Century terms.

Today, we all face similar corporate black-mail situations and oppressive economic life & death living conditions. It seems & is… a situation in which we are NOT all created equal and only those with obscene money are happy spending it.
I’m talking about the RIGHT TO LIVE with affordable health care, & decent wages & living conditions! Today those with money get the bed & those without HIT the dirt, literally in cremation! Confirming the notion that we have the best medicine in the world that only the RICH can buy! COPORATE cannibals, Death/care BARONS and their RUSH minions - don’t want to lose their profits from our pain.

SINGLE PAYER or DIE BROKE!

We
Hold these Truths
To be Self Evident - as do

[mnyegele]

I just clicked on to the Center for Responsive Politics website, and here's a sampling of what I found.
McConnell gets $ 2 million in political campaign contributions from the health sector.He gets $ 1 million from lobbyists. His top political donor is Kindred Health Care. Among the other top 20 campaign donors are Humana Inc, Blue Cross, and GalaxoSmithKline.

Joe Lieberman has gotten $2 million from the health care sector, which includes health insurance and pharmaceutical companies. He gets $ l million from lobbyists. Lieberman's top 20 political donors include Aetna Health Insurance and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.
Senator Richard Lugar's top industrial backers are security and investment industries. Since health insurance industries are Wall Street's latest darlings, Lugar has every reason for delaying. Lugar also gets $ 177,000 in political campaign contributions from the health sector. Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals and Blue Cross/Blue Shield are among his top 20 political campaign contributors.
Orrin Hatch gets $ 977,000 from health care sector. His top industrial donor are pharmaceuticals and health products. Other top industrial donors include hospitals, nursing homes, and health insurance companies. Of top 20 individual political donors, Blue Cross takes 2nd place. Amgen, Eli Lilly Kindred Health Care are also among the top 20.
Yet no one in mainstream media has reported this.
We need is a "come clean" campaign. We need to expose the funding sources of all Congressmen who oppose Obama's health care reform. . Let's demand that Congress "Come clean.

[Ezzard]

What's coming out of Congress may get more people covered, but in the course of this there will be windfall for the drug companies and the particularly heinous insurance companies. The second basic reason we had to address health care is the killing cost of it to the nation. Nothing is being done about that and the partasites will just make more money. Who is Obama serving? Why was single-payer removed from the table? Who decided that it was politically impossible? Read Krugman's column of today. Anyone who was expecting more of Obama should be severely disappointed.

[jemborg]

Wow! I'm a freedom loving Aussie and I find this paranoia over decent pubic health care amazing.

We've had it for almost 30 years.

I've expounded on this in many of Huffo's threads but let me simply say... America you deserve better, do not believe the Conservative lies.

NB: It took two goes in my country to get universal Medicare established. The Conservatives got rid of it when they got voted back in. The Labor Party re-established it at the next election after that. And although they have undermined it every time they got back into power the Conservatives don't dare try to get rid of it again. What I am getting at here is you have to push HARD for it- it's NOT going to happen through bi-partisanship.

[StanRowe]

With a Republican leadership of Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Fox News, what can we expect? Unless Democrats and Independents show a better leadership, we will get what we deserve on healthcare.
Indeed the issue is not easy. It involves not only the health of our bodies and our financial well being, but a searching of our souls.
We need more individual responsibility. Overweight, smoking, and a history of perscription drug abuse, I don't particularly want my tax dollar to go to Rush. And he is not the only one who could do more on his own about his health...and responsibility.
Doctors should be rewarded for quality of care and not quantity of care. Costs can be brought down with preventive medicine. The frauds must be dealt with. Good leadership, step forward. Thanks.

[RodRod]

Any reform bill without the public option is more of the same old same old with the insurance industry dictating the price as it already does. So when whatever reform without the public option passes and people find out nothing changed for them, don't blame the President. Look around to your neighbor who bragged about being the most vocal one at the town hall meeting; your senator or congressman who took a "principled" stand for less government spending; your clergy’s sermon about too much government interference. But hey, "we showed'em", those liberals, that "we're free". Yeah, free to continue paying the high premiums, being told "no coverage" by the insurance company, free to be one of the 46 million plus to go without coverage. Free, free at last......­..........­..........­......,huh­, what happened?

[pitt-cluw-girl]

Twenty to 30 percent of the non-Medicare health care dollar goes for administration and profit not for health care. This is a private tax by the insurance companies that everyone is paying. Medicare has an administration cost of 4%. 30% vs. 4%. Wait, I thought efficiency was good?

If a charity had this kind of overhead we would never contribute. So what value does insurance add? Other than denying care to patients and interfering between patients and doctors?
Doctors care - insurers deny

[bob-e-oh]

It is unbeliveable to me, after the crash and burn of the last 8 years,the wreckage and mess we are going to be mired in for years,that something so moraly right as health care for all, cannot achive the overwellming popular support it should.As discredited as the last admin. is, where do these people come from that would support more of the same.As long as "they" can divied us, we can't become a true democracy.It feels like arguing with 3 year olds.Are that many people that stupid or what?

[hscott]

Democratic politicians had better buck up and show they're willing to fight for the people on this health care issue, and not be lapdogs for the ones soaking millions from the infirmities of others.

[jcochess]

it is time to pass health care reform. we need to be able to provide universal coverage, health care is a right not a privilege . All the negatives of doing nothing need to be continually talked about so that people realize the consequences of no health care reform. We need to be able to contain health care costs with real competition, which a public option will provide. we need to call out those in the Senate who have sold their souls to the health care insurance companies and big drugs. Baucus of Montana especially .should be held accountable for his actions in the Senate It seems like Big Drugs and the Big Health Insurance companies are getting their monies worth out of Max. On a more positive note, I believe the real health care reform bill should be named after Senator Kennedy, a true American Statesman !!!

[Steffi Domike]

This column needs to be circulated far and wide. Seniors who only watch Fox (Fixed) News are terrified. and confused by the militia style, gun toting crazies who have haunted the health care town hall meetings. If we had a system that provided health care for all, maybe some of these wackos could afford the medication they so obviously need!

[schatsie]

Medicare D has been a tremendous PAYOFF to Pig Pharm,,,,Think about paying 10 for 9 migraine pills under a job benefit, but under Medicare 9 of a similar medication are require a payment of over $100 for 9 NINE PILLS....WE NEED TO SERIOUSLY AUDIT THIS PROGRAM FOR PRICE FIXING....

[stack]

Audit? Why, that's just silly! All the Republicans in Congress who designed the system to work this way and then went to work for Big PHarma are not going to let that happen. No need for an audit, they'd assure their colleagues who still work in Congress, that would just be a waste of taxpayers' money!