Obama is Coming to Cut Medicare

[Better Believe It]

Obama is Coming to Cut Medicare
by Jon Walker
September 9, 2011

The problem, though, is that this jobs package isn’t going to pass, so this speech wasn’t about policy, it was about messaging. Seen from that perspective, the speech was very scary to me as a progressive, because in the middle of what should have been a speech about getting Americans back to work, Obama very publicly endorsed putting Medicare and Medicaid on the deficit-reduction chopping block. Most important, Obama signaled he supports reducing Medicare spending that “some in his party” won’t like. From Obama’s Speech:

This approach is basically the one I’ve been advocating for months. In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I’ve already signed into law, it’s a balanced plan that would reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts, by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share. (Applause.) What’s more, the spending cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on our economy, or prevent us from helping small businesses and middle-class families get back on their feet right away.

Now, I realize there are some in my party who don’t think we should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I understand their concerns. But here’s the truth: Millions of Americans rely on Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will do so in the future. They pay for this benefit during their working years. They earn it. But with an aging population and rising health care costs, we are spending too rapidly to sustain the program. And if we don’t gradually reform the system, while protecting current beneficiaries, it won’t be there when future retirees need it. We have to reform Medicare to strengthen it.

This statement from Obama is, of course, a deception on the part of Obama to act like Congressional liberals are unreasonable when it comes to Medicare. Progressives support ways to reduce Medicare spending by things like allowing Medicare to directly negotiate for drug prices. Progressives just don’t support shifting costs onto old people. Obama saying he supports Medicare changes “some in his party” won’t like is code for saying he will support cutting benefits.

Read the full article at:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/09/09-12

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[Robb]

2. So we're resorting to "it's code for _______" now?

Laughable.

[Swede]

4. Healthcare is now on double secret probation.

Don't cha know?

[ClarkUSA]

11. Yes. It's another media whore's tea leaf fearmongering op-ed. Par for the course these days.

[TheKentuckian]

46. What "changes" are we talking that some in the party oppose?

It damn well is "code" for something because he wouldn't have said it in a national address from Congress for nothing.

It doesn't take a leap in logic to have a solid guess on what "changes" are on the menu in the current political environment that "some" in our party aren't going to like. Let's keep it somewhat real here.

[leftstreet]

3. The upcoming boomer transition is a serious cash cow for privateers

79 MILLION BOOMER$ $TART TURNING 65 THI$ YEAR !!

between 162 - 172 million people in the next 2 decades will shift away from for profit healthcare toward nonprofit gvt programs. That's a serious SERIOUS cash cow for the private profiteers!

Boomers need to start getting under the bus

K&R

[madrchsod]

9. we are right under the front axle....

[Bluebear]

47. You know it

[woo me with science]

41. +1

I wonder how long they have been planning this.

[ipaint]

55. +1 Follow the money.

Every time, never fails.

This is a culling of the baby boomer population starting with the boomer wage slaves. I haven't had access to health care for 2 decades. They can't wait till I and millions of others die early from neglect and abuse. We are serious drags on shareholder profit which includes the retirement funds of those in the middle class and up still lucky enough to have one.

We are a pathetic excuse for a democracy.

[SidDithers]

5. Unrec...

SSDD.

Sid

[Hawkowl]

6. Change you can Bereave in!

:evilgrin:

[SammyWinstonJack]

7. HA!

:spray:

[Bluebear]

12. !!

[leftstreet]

13. .

:spray:

[banned from Kos]

8. And how much of Medicare is spent on the terminally ill elderly?

My mother died of lung cancer (yes, she smoked) and she insisted on hopeless surgery two months before she died. Doctors told us it was futile.

She never should have had the surgery.

Watch the 60 Minutes segment - IIRC over 1/3 of Medicare is spent on soon-to-be-dead. But people recoil from reality.

[Better Believe It]

14. So 60 Minutes is joining the propaganda attack on Medicare. I'm not surprised.

Part of the big propaganda drive for Medicare cuts is directed against so-called "wasteful spending" for "unnecessary tests" and "useless" operations and medical procedures for people who are "too old" and should be allowed to die without treatment.

[leftstreet]

15. "wasteful spending, unnecessary tests, useless operations" Like the military?

[banned from Kos]

17. not "too old" - terminally ill. $50 billion a year in the last 2 months of dying

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/19/60minutes/main5711689.shtml

"The Cost of Dying"

Watch it - it is real reporting and as you know is rare these days.

[Better Believe It]

19. According to who? CBS??? You gotta be kiddin!

And what do progressive pro-Medicare organizations have to say about that corporate media statistic?

And oh .... do you support increasing the eligibility age for Medicare and tightening up restrictions on what procedures, medical treatments and tests will be approved by Medicare?

[Bobbie Jo]

25. What? No Fox News link today?

And oh....Unrec.

[bvar22]

57. So NOW the Media & "Centrist" "Democrats"...

...are actively campaigning FOR "Death Panels".
Ironic, Eh?

Thats my problem with "Centrists".
They agree with Republicans.


You will know them by their Free Trade & Tax Cuts.


Solidarity!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[kenny blankenship]

20. So it's not enough that the US ALREADY trails the civilized world in life expectancy

the pep squad wants life expectancy in the US to GO BACKWARD.

[NorthCarolina]

31. I see.....

so Death Panels is the answer!

[woo me with science]

10. Kicked and recommended. Wake the hell up, America. This is a bipartisan assault.

[truedelphi]

23. I kicked and R'ed as well.

And the count stood at one when I did so?

A while after you did.

[bananas]

34. I k&r'd it earlier - from 0 to 0, it's still 0

WTF is wrong with people?

[woo me with science]

35. The murder of Democratic Party values and principles, by our own President

I am angry.

I see many trying to bargain.

And there is a hell of a lot of denial going on.

I hope to hell we never reach acceptance of this shit.

[Name removed]

44. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

49. Deleted message

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[Bluebear]

60. Amen

[Mimosa]

63. Same here when I first read this TRUTHFUL OP.

SAD that any dem would deny the obvious to protect WHAT????

[adhd_what_huh]

16. good god....more crap from the Green Party on DU

[Better Believe It]

18. Are you saying the Green Party opposes Medicare cuts and are leading the campaign against such cuts?

I think you just may be giving them a whole lot more credit than they deserve.

So do you favor increasing the eligibility age for Medicare or not?

What's your opinion?

I'm listening.

[adhd_what_huh]

21. I'm all for increasing it by one or two years for those under the age

of 50...knowing we will have health care reform fully enacted within 15 years...

[eilen]

29. So quick to sell out the young. We pick your nursing homes, just remember that. nt

[leftstreet]

33. .

:spray:

That's an awesome response! Did you think that up?

:rofl:

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

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

[Bluebear]

48. NO

[Better Believe It]

52. Health care "reform fully enacted within 15 years" could very well mean the end of Medicare.

Don't assume you will see a Medicare for All single payer system if at this early date the politicians are allowed to start cutting Medicare benefits and increase the age for eligibility.

We need to at least reduce the age of eligibility to 60 right now!

[Bluebear]

53. +

[DrunkenBoat]

62. you *know* that? if it's such a sure thing, why not now? so why do we need to change the eli-

gibility age now, since "reform" is such a god-damned shoe-in?

I'll wait for the reform first, thanks all the same.

[Mimosa]

64. Wanna bet? Like health care run and managed by big insurance, big hospital corps?

You think they are going to GO AWAY? PUH-LEEEEEZE.

[truedelphi]

22. As a nation, progresives learned all they needed to know

Way back in December 2008. On the day when Henry Kissinger rang the bell at the NY Stock Exchange.

Henry was all smiles as he explained how exciting it would be to have Obama as President. And in his words, Kissinger went on to say that the man would enable the "New World Order" to succeed, in a way that few other people could.

A couple of hundred social, political and financial sites have the You Tube of Kissinger rejoicing.

The fact that Obama has proven Kissinger right makes the task ahead of us seem impossible.

[elleng]

24. ...

:thumbsdown:

Don't like him, interpret whatever he says in negative ways. Sounds like repug criticism to me.

[Safetykitten]

26. Translation: Costs keep going up, and we are not going to do anything about that...

so we will screw you.

[Honeycombe8]

27. Well,,,,not quite right.

You say, "Obama saying he supports Medicare changes “some in his party” won’t like is code for saying he will support cutting benefits."

That's not quite correct. He did not say he would support cutting benefits.

He MIGHT be agreeable to that. Then again, he might not. The truth is, he didn't say.

[eilen]

30. Well, he doesn't seem to enjoy being pinned down on the details

Instead he builds special committees or agrees to the creation of "super congress" who know their marching orders and do his dirty work for him.

[Honeycombe8]

32. I guess when the bill comes out next week, the details will be in it?

If not, that will be troubling.

[woo me with science]

38. OF COURSE he supports benefit cuts. He has already OFFERED benefit cuts.

He ALREADY offered to raise the eligibility age. It was ALREADY in that putrid, 650 BILLION DOLLAR package of cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security that he put on the table during the closed-door debt ceiling emergency fake shock doctrine crisis.

We need to get real. It is highly unlikely, given the massive cuts they are tasked to find, that the Super Theft Congress will not START with what the President has already signaled that he WILL accept.

:puke: :nuke:

[INdemo]

28. Go back and research the medicare bill from 2003- 2004

When Repukes were in the Majority..A bill that barely passed and was more of a subsidy to insurance companies than an advantage for Seniors.It raised the cost for Seniors and with very little changes..So If the President can bring the cost down with better benefits isn't that reform?..Doesn't anyone remember how the Repukes pressured Freshmen Repukes into voting for the bill? John Kerry refered to the bill in his campaign as a subsidy to insurance cos.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Medicare_Prescription_Drug_Bill_Vote_Scandal%2C_2003


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_modernization_act
So don't you think reforming this Republican give away to drug companies necessary?

[Bluebear]

37. "with better benefits".... Right.

[INdemo]

45. With for one ...in that bill the government was not allowed

to negotiate for the lower priced paharmacy..Buying drugs from Canada was off limits..
Copay is higher under the Bush bill..
So Seniors didn't complain much except after the bill passed they needed a supplement insurance to take care of what was covered/lost under the old plan..
So does it need reformed Yes..Will it be cut? Benefits were actually cut in the 2004 bill by Repukes but it was one big snow job by the media and the AARP which is nothing more than on gigantic Insurance Company and Insurance agency.
There were bit and pieces of this explained in the Obama Campaign..And the healthcare bill..well Insurance companies paid millions to defeat the bill and to buy from Congress a watered down version...but thats another issue.

[tjwash]

39. I thought the mexicans were coming to take all our jobs?

Damn...I'm always a couple of days late to the latest DU anxiety-fest

[Rosco T.]

40. Oh. Horse. Shit.

[Bluebear]

61. Lol

[WinkyDink]

42. "We have to reform Medicare to strengthen it." I take it he's not heard of Gen. Westmoreland.

Or, scarier, he has.

[Faryn Balyncd]

58. perfect analogy

[ThatsMyBarack]

43. Hope I die 'fore I git old!

Talkin' bout my GEEENeration....

[Mimosa]

65. I pray I will die before I get too old and dependent.

Is there any reason I should trust the "Affordable care act of 2010" since I had to give up BC/BS health insurance because I can no longer afford the extortionary premiums (like over $1K a month).

[Autumn]

50. I just had to give this a K/R

:dem:

[Bluebear]

54. +

[unkachuck]

51. "We have to reform Medicare to strengthen it."

....but first we have to reform the Democratic Party in order to strengthen it. We'll start by only electing only Democrats into office in the future.

[Starry Messenger]

56. k&r

[Faryn Balyncd]

59. The right wings Overton Window strategy continues to pay dividends.