WSJ: Romney Proposes to Privatize Medicare

[flpoljunkie]

Emphasis mine. Romney must know there is no way to sustain two systems--public and private--one guaranteed, one not. That makes his proposal disingenuous, to say the least.

NOVEMBER 4, 2011


Mitt Romney waves after speaking at the Defending the (Koch Brothers) American Dream Summit, Friday, in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

Romney Proposes to Privatize Medicare

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney waded into the hot-button issue of Medicare, proposing to offer future seniors a choice between the current fee-for-service health plan or a voucher to purchase health insurance plans offered by private insurance companies.

The proposal, offered to conservative activists Friday afternoon, would be similar to one proposed by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin earlier this year, but with one big difference. Mr. Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, said he would keep the current system as an option, while Mr. Ryan and House Republicans voted to drop traditional Medicare altogether, except for those now 55 and older.

Still, the overall impact of the Romney and Ryan plans might not be that different over time. Under Mr. Romney’s proposal, if competition from private plans drove down the cost of those options, premiums would rise on the traditional fee-for-service option, coaxing seniors away from the government-run plan, the Romney campaign said.

“These ideas will give tomorrow’s seniors the same kinds of choices that most Americans have in their health care today. The future of Medicare should be marked by competition, choice, and innovation—rather than bureaucracy, stagnation, and bankruptcy,” Mr. Romney said.

The Romney Medicare plan could become a hallmark of the 2012 presidential campaign should he win the Republican nomination. Democrats had already planned to make the Ryan plan a centerpiece of their efforts to unseat Republicans in Congress. Now, Mr. Romney has thrust Medicare privatization into the presidential race.

more...

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/11/04/romney-proposes-to-privatize-medicare/

[Ilsa]

1. Medicare costs a lot, but it is very well-run. Romney is just looking for a way

For his buddies to make trillions as they cheat seniors out of care.

I hate these people. They know it won't work and that it will be more expensive.

[starroute]

2. There's something profoundly disingenuous about this

There's no way private insurance companies are going to be competing furiously to add a lot of ailing 80 year olds to their rolls. And right now, Medicare is a far better deal than all but the most expensive private insurance.

So the only way I can see Romney's proposal working at all is if the current proposals to cut provider rates are ramped up to the point where it becomes almost impossible for someone on traditional Medicare to find a doctor who will accept it. That along with increased co-pays and deductibles would drive anybody who could possibly pay for private coverage to do so.

In other words, you'd get a two-tier system, where the government would be subsidizing platinum plans for the wealthy and subjecting everyone else to rationing or substandard care. And this means that Romney's claim that you'd be able to keep traditional Medicare if you wanted is a flat lie.

[uponit7771]

3. WOW!!! This guy doesn't want to president either! Cain is going for speaking fees, whats Mitts angle

[and-justice-for-all]

4. Sickening...these assholes can not be allowed to occupy the hill.nt