The euthanasia talking point was handed to the wingnuts on a silver platter

[clear eye]

First Congress refuses even to consider the best cost-cutting measures of all - the administrative cost cuts automatically part of any single-payer program. Then they drop the cost savings that would occur if the right to bargain w/ pharmaceutical cos. were added to Medicare pt. D. Then they refuse to bring up the savings Medicare could achieve if a dept. of enforcement against provider fraud were created to stop MDs and others from billing Medicare for procedures not done. Then the President goes on record saying that the savings for his whole program will come from Medicare by denying the elderly "excess procedures" determined by "cost/benefit" analyses and cutting payment rates to MDs (as though there aren't few enough Medicare MDs already), and gives the example of hip replacements (which affect a person's entire quality of life). Along with that, his OMB head starts intense pressure on Congress to turn over the oversight of Medicare (which has always been too popular for elected officials to cut) to a small Executive branch board intentionally made as unaccountable as possible--appointed by the President but not recallable by him/her. The legislation requires Congress to jump through impossible hoops if they want to keep any of the board's recommendations from becoming law (pass a joint resolution in both Houses in 30 days over the Chrismas holiday season). Then the idea of funding a public option w/ a tax on the wealthy quietly disappeared. Now they are dropping whatever savings might have been generated by having a public option at all to compete w/ private plans.

Of course Democrats haven't designed a plan with the intention of denying care to seniors, but the perceived need to pass something, anything, w/o bucking opposition from the health industry, seems to be leading Washington in a troubling direction. A situation is being set up that another REPUBLICAN Administration could easily use to gut Medicare. I'm glad the decision won't be made until after the recess. I think that all our elected officials need to hear our demands, and stop and think what the consequences will be of creating mandated private insurance and a subsidy plan to be funding solely by slashing Medicare. Don't you?