Senate Democrats blocked GOP move to restore Medicare funding. Defending Medicare cuts is madness

[Better Believe It]

The Perils of Managerialism
posted by John Nichols
December 6, 2009

Democrats are celebrating the fact that they have blocked a Republican proposal to restore funding for a Medicare program facing cuts in the Senate health-care bill.

Dumb move.

Of course, Saturday's attempt by Republican senators to restore about $42 billion in funding to Medicare's home health-care programs was cynical.

The Grand Old Party has a long history of wanting to slash rather than expand Medicare.

But the Democratic "strategy" of paying for health-care reform by nickle-and-diming Medicare is a fool's errand.

To begin the health-care debate in the Senate with Democrats celebrating their successful defense of Medicare cuts is madness. What next? Reform education by slashing day-care funding? Address the mortgage crisis by bailing out big banks? (Oops.)

Read the full article at:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/503710/the_perils_of_managerialism

[fascisthunter]

1. there are stupid people in charge of the Democratic Party

worse than stupid, they want it this way.

[emulatorloo]

8. The Republican proposal was BULLSHIT, the Kerry proposal was DEAD ON

So they defeated the Republican proposal and approved the Kerry proposal.

That article is about spin, I don't understand the point of it,

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[Jane Austin]

4. John Nichols?

Or the OP?

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

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[emulatorloo]

3. HOLD YOUR DAMN HORSES - They adopted Kerry's amendment instead, which restored the cuts

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=ayQF47S6_Q2s

The Democratic-led Senate instead adopted, 96-0, a proposal by Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, prohibiting any cuts to home health care that would affect patients.

The article your are quoting is about SPIN>

[Better Believe It]

11. Hold your horses! How much of the cuts were restored? Do you know?

From the same article you cite!

Senate Rejects Republican Bid to Restore Health Funds
By Laura Litvan

Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Senate voted to reject a Republican proposal to restore $42 billion in home health services funding to broad health-care overhaul legislation, turning back another attempt to derail the bill.

The home health-care measure, by Nebraska Republican Mike Johanns, is one of a series of proposals by Republicans designed to draw attention to the possible impact on patients of the health-care legislation.

“These Medicare cuts will impact the quality of care for millions of American seniors,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican.

The Democratic-led Senate instead adopted, 96-0, a proposal by Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, prohibiting any cuts to home health care that would affect patients.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601110&sid=ayQF47S6_Q2s

Now how much of that 42 billion in home health services cuts will be restored, funding that Republicans joined Democrats in passing? 10%, 20%, perhaps 30%? I'd like some hard documented facts on that.

[emulatorloo]

14. The Republicans are not acting in good faith.

They are claiming cuts in wasteful spending are cuts in services.

If you are gullible enough to believe the Republicans are being honest here, you are pretty gullible.

Or else you have a strong need to ascribe the worst possible motives to the Democratic party. And John Kerry, of all people, who is one of the solidest liberals in the Senate.

As to hard numbers I am not your research assistant.

[Better Believe It]

23. Of course they aren't. Perhaps you should actually read the article before commenting on it.

[emulatorloo]

32. I read it. The article is about "SPIN" & how things might be "SPUN". You're buying the spin

apparently rather than reading the spin critically.

I would rather the Dems do the right thing than worry out some *sshole Republican 2010 ad maker is going to distort it.

[karynnj]

15. at is the meaning of the word "ANY"

"The Democratic-led Senate instead adopted, 96-0, a proposal by Senator John Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, prohibiting any cuts to home health care that would affect patients."

Home healthcare is an issue that Kerry fought for with Kennedy for decades. If you prefer to trust Johanns, go ahead - but the biggest difference was Johanns' bill sent the entire bill back to the Finance Committee. Is that what you think is a good idea.

Nichols in 2004 actually wrote an article after Dean dropped out, where, with no backup, he claimed Edwards probably had a better environmental record than Kerry - though Kerry was the Senate's strongest environmentalist with a lifetime LCV record then of 96%, while Edwards had one in the 60s. That was not the key point of his article, but it shows that he has a poor record of fact checking.

[dionysus]

35. in quoting mitch mcconnel, you jump the shark, yet again.

[kenny blankenship]

5. We're going to make those old layabouts get out of the wagon and push!

Today Phil Gramm could be a Democrat- again.

[jefferson_dem]

10. So if Gramm was in the Senate today, he would have voted with the Dems rather than his Repug buddies

... in your opinion. :crazy:

[kenny blankenship]

16. He also used to be a Democrat. Austerity measures would make him feel at home again in the D party.

So boggle away.

[emulatorloo]

34. Cutting fraud and waste should make everyone happy. But the republicans would rather lie

about what's going on.

I am glad the Dems defeated the bullshit republican proposal and approved one of their own that restored funding that needed to be restored.

[SpartanDem]

6. The cuts are to Medicare Advantage

[nosmokes]

9. and WTH do you think us on medicare get our dental and vision and drugs?

And if you have a chronic condition like cancer you damn well better have medicare advantage or a bankruptcy attorney.

[napi21]

13. You're wrong on that! We have Medicare Advantage, but

my cousin, who HAS very high medical expenses both tests, trestments & drugs, has a supplemental. Because we don't have many expenses & relatively low drug costs, it's better for us to have an Adbantage Plan, buwith my cousin, the co-pays would litterally put him on the street! As it is, he hits the doughnut hole in Feb. every year! With the supplemental all his tests & treatments are fully paid for and don't have a cap.

I'm willing to pay more for my coverage so others can benefit.

[karynnj]

22. Not to mention the bill partially closes that donut hole which will help people

like your cousin.

[petersjo02]

12. I think the bulk of the cuts

are to Medicare Advantage programs which are furnished and managed by for-profit ins. companies. The costs to taxpayers are way higher than regular Medicare, with no better results, and strict limitations on coverage to certain areas near your home and certain doctors, etc. No cuts to regular Medicare, IINM.

[dionysus]

38. correct, medicare advantage has nothing to do with the actual Medicare.

[jenmito]

17. I could just imagine what you'd say if the Dems. AGREED with the Repubs.

:eyes:

[Better Believe It]

24. That happens way too much now that you mention it.

We've seen way to much bi-partisan agreement with Republicans during and since Dubya.

[jenmito]

29. See? You won't be happy either way. You're like your own

"Party of No."

[Bitwit1234]

18. The CUTS ARE TO THE ADVANTAGE SYSTEM...LOOK LOOK

the cuts to the Medicare system are to Advantage system. The ones the republicans added to Medicare which are causing a drain on the system. I have posted this before....the republicans added the Advantage Plans so that private insurances could be entrenched in Medicare. The Advantage Medical Plans are costing more than regular Medicare. they charge hospitals and doctors etc MORE MONEY PER VISIT AND PROCEDURE THAN REGULAR MEDICARE. They are taking the money out that is why there are cuts...That is why the republicans don't want it cut, this way they can still funnel money to private insurances.

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. Don't confuse Better Believe It with policy details

he or she literally doesn't know what the fuck is going on. It's all about beating up on anything even mildly connected to Obama. It's childish and embarrassing behavior, but fairly routine at this point.

[Better Believe It]

30. So you don't know how much of the Medicare funding with be cut?

[dionysus]

37. you don't fool a single person on this board, you know that?

[napi21]

28. Have you heard any rumors about hat effect this will have on

Medicare Supplement policies? O haven't heard anything at all about that. I assume the supplements will still be provided by private ins. cos.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[karynnj]

26. Exactly - Here is a link to Kerry explaining the difference between his amendment and the Johnas one

More back up:

On the issue of Medicare cuts and other lies:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=9071713

(Note that the organization of the home health care providers BACKS the Democrats.)

On his amendment:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=9071797

[JeffR]

21. Swing and a miss!

For the 8,529,385th time...
:eyes:

[dionysus]

43. yup, the legenday King of Fail...

:rofl:

[firedupdem]

25. Don't believe it! Another fail post n/t

[Better Believe It]

27. So how much of the 42 billion dollars in Medicare funding will be cut?

Doesn't anyone have the exact details on these cuts?

[girl_interrupted]

31. God, this is just too sad to believe, it's like the Dems want to lose

in 2010. Why on earth would they do this? If there is one group of people who always vote, it's the elderly. This is a nightmare.

[emulatorloo]

33. So it doesn't matter to you that the Dems were right to defeat the Rep proposal

and then passed a better proposal that restored the funding?

Or would you rather the Dems had cowered in the corner, worrying how some Karl Rove Type ad agency is going to spin it in one of their typical "Lie Ads?"

[dionysus]

41. that sound you hear is you buying BBI's republican spin hook, line, and sinker...

[karynnj]

39. Did you bother to listen to or read the test at the CSPAN link I posted?

If you didn't here it is:
On the issue of Medicare cuts and other lies: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=9071713
(Note that the organization of the home health care providers BACKS the Democrats.)

On his amendment: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/congress/?q=node/77531&id=9071797
The fact is that everyone from Kerry and Dean in 2004 to Obama, Edwards and Clinton to McCain included eliminating some money that was wasteful in Medicare as part of their plan. Cutting funding does not equate to cutting benefits.

Where McCain has a point is the deal with Pharma, but that is not related to this.

The major difference between the Kerry amendment and the Johanns one is that Johanns sends the bill back to the Finance committee - essentially killing it. Kerry has worked on this for decades and was incredibly close to Kennedy. Johanns has NO record for ever working to improve health coverage.

[dionysus]

36. medicare is private insurance that fleeces seniors, but you'll support that because

you can side with the republicans against obama, yet again...

[karynnj]

40. It is telling that he trusts Johanns over Kerry

and ignores all the health organizations that back the Democratic plan. MedPAC the entity that oversees Medicare recommended the cuts in that bill - they said that it could be done without harming seniors.

But as you said, this is what this poster always does. He apparently does not see this and other amendments as attempts to kill the bill.

[dionysus]

42. oh he see's it. you're damned straight he sees it. the most transparent poster i have ever seen here

[karynnj]

44. I would bet on the fact that he does understand it

though I wonder if he would be more troubled if we peg him as a liar or as confused and wrong. He sure is consistent in never accepting the obvious.