Paul Ryan delivers health care reform (& Medicare) replacement

[TomCADem]

Source: San Jose Mercury

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan says it’s time for Republicans to rally around a comprehensive “replacement” to President Barack Obama’s signature health care reform legislation — with the government giving a limited contribution to help Americans get health coverage.

That’s the model Ryan wants to apply through Medicare, Medicaid and employer-sponsored health insurance. It’s the approach he used earlier this year for Medicare and Medicaid in the House-passed budget, but he now wants to expand it to workplace health insurance by giving people a refundable tax credit to help them buy coverage.

* * *

Much of his speech was a reiteration of the policy proposals advanced in his budget, which was roundly criticized by Democrats who said it would have decimated the Medicare program.

But Ryan reiterated his support for Medicare and block granting Medicaid to the states, while voicing support for reshaping tax breaks for employer-sponsored health insurance.

Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_18988636

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Talk about corporate censorship. The headline should be "Paul Ryan Doubles Down And Expands Proposal To Privitize Medicare." Instead, the article is portrayed as a happy effort to repeal "Obamacare." Indeed, the article simply delivers the standard Republican spin that the reason why people were against Ryan's proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program was because they misunderstood what he was trying to do.

This illustrates the classic double standard given by the media. Republican efforts to tear down and destroy programs like Medicare are either ignored or hyped as "bold," yet if President Obama merely entertains a willingness to discuss a tweak in Medicare such as raising the retirement age, the corporate media uses that as an opportunity to bash Democrats and split the Democratic base. Somehow, Paul Ryan's proposal to utterly destroy Medicare is portrayed as a bold idea, which is good, while the mere willingness of Democrats to consider deficit reduction measures that fundamentally preserve Medicare are used to tear down Democrats.

This is why Americans, including the left, are being bamboozled. They are being conditioned to Blame Democrats, but give Republicans a free pass. This is why Republicans walked away from the possible deficit with President Obama. They never wanted to "save" Medicare. They want to destroy it. And, this article and the lack of attention being paid to this renewed effort shows that the corporate media is in on the fix.

[plumbob]

1. Why is this waste of skin and air still walking the street?

I can't guess.

[Oceansaway]

2. Rob Zerban is running against this

walking piece of human shit....

GO TO ACT BLUE !... HELP ROB WIN !!

[cstanleytech]

3. Ryan has my full support

.......for him to immigrate to some other more worthy nation.

[Auntie Bush]

4. How about he immigrate to hell and not back?

He'll deserve that because many people will die if we adopt the Ryan plan.

[CBHagman]

6. Hasn't the world suffered enough?

Though I would allow him to take the couch in Rush Limbaugh's place. Misery loves company, but who is more miserable?

[JDPriestly]

5. What is new? We all know that the Mainstream Media is completely

corrupt, unreliable and useless. So why are people still watching and listening to it?

You do not need to go to D.C. or New York City to demonstrate for a real change. Just cancel your cable subscription, and stop watching the lies.

I am so tired of hearing people complain about the media when those same complaining people don't have the self-discipline to turn off the TV and listen only to alternative radio.

Let's stop wasting our time on the Mainstream Media. It's hopeless. It will never change. It is we who have to change our viewing and listening habits.

[Angry Dragon]

7. Then Congress can try it for two years and test drive it

They should be able to enjoy the benefits that they want everyone else to live under

[Honeycombe8]

8. "Refundable tax credit" to subsidize ins. premiums, and then block Medicaid to states.

In other words, if you are poor (that is, you don't pay much in taxes), then you are out of luck. No subsidy to help you buy ins. coverage....and the fed won't help pay for Medicaid for you.

Do these people not understand the concept of being poor?

Oh, God. I hope these people don't capture the White House next year. Millions will be in for serious hardship and heartbreak.

[mwooldri]

9. If Mr. Ryan wants to cut medical costs...

... he should *not* be going for this kind of crap. Plus this can really make it hard for companies to offer health insurance to their employees, especially the larger companies who typically self-insure their employees.

The answer is available to him and he can easily see a demonstration without having to go anywhere - just watch TV. BBC America is airing "24 hours in the ER" (was "24 hrs in A&^E" in UK)- showing government owned and operated health care in action. Sure it doesn't show what's going on in the waiting room (there can be people waiting in A&^E for trivial cases that could be better off seen at something like an Urgent Care clinic).

[McCamy Taylor]

10. Ryan and the House tried to destroy Medicare. We must never let the voters forget.

[No Elephants]

11. Before we get too wild, let's see what the unprecedented Super Committee does.

You can find the germs of the Cat Food Commission and the Super Committee, especially, the unprecented "up or down vote only" requirement in this article: http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?contentid=254871&kaid=85&subid=65


The Senate refused to accept the "up or down vote only" requirement as to the Cat Food Commission, and the requisite majority of the Commission's own members did not vote of the Commission's report.

But, lo and behold, somehow, the Super Committee somehow emerged from the debt ceiling "crisis."

Obama caving, or Obama getting his way after the Cat Food Commission did not do the trick?

Ask John Conyers.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/01/1001667/-Once-you-correctly-ID-his-counterparty,-Obama-is-a-hard-line-negotiator

[customerserviceguy]

12. Exactly

We have no idea what's going to come out of that body, and if it's nothing, then we have no idea what Medicare reform is eventually going to look like. If we simply pretend that Medicare is going to continue on as it always has, it will simply extinguish itself in not too many years.

Give Ryan credit for one thing: he's willing to lay out his plan. What plan or plans has our side laid out? Or will we find that out after they pass a bill, like they did with HCR?

[oldbanjo]

13. I only give Ryan credit for stupidity and also for helping get Obama reelected.

Everyone needs Health Care and a Retirement of some kind. Ryan is out to screw the poor and the retired.

[cstanleytech]

14. Wait, you forgot to give him credit for finally discovering that water is wet.

[muntrv]

15. Paul Ryan plan:

DON'T GET SICK!

IF YOU DO, DIE QUICKLY!