Reality Check: Obama Cuts Social Security and Medicare by Much More Than the GOP
On Social Security: Ryan didn't cut Social Security by a penny. The president has proposed cutting the program's spending by $130 billion, by adopting a slower-growing measure of inflation.
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On Medicare: Ryan's budget kept Obamacare's Medicare cuts and added another $127 billion. His budget projects $6.74 trillion in Medicare spending between 2014 and 2023. Obama cuts even deeper with $380 billion in cuts below his baseline, and his budget projects $6.67 trillion in Medicare spending over the same period. Upshot: Obama's ten-year Medicare budget is $70 billion below the GOP, and his announced cuts are about $250 billion deeper than the GOP. (See below for brief explainer on differences.*)
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And here's the bottom line: Obama preserves federal Medicaid spending, he doesn't unwind Obamacare, and he spends much more on mandatory and non-defense discretionary programs than Ryan proposed. But his cuts to Social Security and Medicare combined are somewhere between $200 billion and $380 billion deeper than the GOP budget. On these programs there is no room to "compromise." The president is already to the right of the right.
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/04/reality-check-obama-cuts-social-security-and-medicare-by-much-more-than-the-gop/274919/
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)expanded preventive Medicare services with no deductible or copayments (cancer screenings, wellness visits, personalized prevention plans); greatly expanded Medicaid for states smart enough to take it (which will help seniors); increased the Medicare tax on businesses and high income individuals to improve Medicare; put greater emphasis on quality of care and outcomes; taken actions which will help stabilize the annual increases in Medicare premiums; did not raise SS or Medicare age; etc.
But yep, that no good President is going to reduce my SS a little bit unless of course, Im on the lower end of the scale, on SSI, or benefit from other protections in the budget proposal.
Dammit, that Obama is a real menace to seniors.
Do I need the sarcasm thingy?
grahamhgreen
(15,741 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)If I come out $250 a month better on the Medicare side, I'll gladly keep giving away $25 to $35 or so in COLA, particularly if my benefits get readjusted after 10 years as Obama's plan requires, and those on the low end are protected.
Heck, they can cut my SS $500 or so a month, if they'll pay for an apartment. I'll give up another several hundred if they give me food stamps, transportation, home health without the big co-pays, etc.
Try to look at the big picture.
indepat
(20,899 posts)will have ceased for: now that the right-wingers' wet dream has reached fruition, the uber-wealthy, large corporations, and the oligarchs virtually own our government and will be able to operate it as their wholly-owned subsidiary for all practical purposes.
santamargarita
(3,170 posts)being Wall Street Shills.
When is this country going to rise up and snatch our country from the clutches of the banksters?