TPM: Hensarling To Dems: Want Higher Taxes? Agree To Partially Privatize Medicare

[flpoljunkie]

Hensarling To Dems: Want Higher Taxes? Agree To Partially Privatize Medicare

Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)

BRIAN BEUTLER NOVEMBER 16, 2011

Shortly after catching heat from Democrats, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) addressed reporters in the Cannon House Office Building to revise and extend controversial Tuesday comments, which threw the Super Committee’s prospects into doubt. But he indicated that the two parties are stuck in a standoff — one they don’t really have time for. And Republicans won’t budge, he insisted, unless Democrats take agree to far-reaching plan to change Medicare.

“Something has to be at the Congressional Budget Office by Monday,” Hensarling said.

Hensarling hinted that his hard line on new taxes might not be so hard … but only if Democrats are willing to fundamentally overhaul Medicare.

“I will give my Democratic colleagues credit for putting at least some reforms on the table, but fundamentally they do not solve the problem,” Hensarling said. “If you don’t like our plan, how about a bipartisan plan? We would be willing to negotiate around the Rivlin-Domenici Medicare plan — it’s not our version, it’s a bipartisan version.”

The plan he’s referring to, authored by former CBO director and current Brookings scholar Alice Rivlin, and former Republican Sen. Pete Demonici, would fundamentally change the single-payer nature of Medicare. It would give seniors a choice between traditional government Medicare, or provide them with a voucher to buy insurance on a private market. It mimics in key ways a plan Newt Gingrich proposed in the 1990s, which he claimed would cause government Medicare to “wither on the vine.” And it’s part of Mitt Romney’s campaign platform to win the GOP presidential nomination.

more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/11/hensarling-to-dems-want-higher-taxes-agree-to-partially-privatize-medicare.php?ref=fpb

[ret5hd]

1. okey dokey...if you agree to change our current private healthcare with a choice between...

single payer healthcare and traditional private healthcare.

and i guaran-gddamn-tee you private healthcare will wither on the vine.

[BeyondGeography]

2. Oh, get stuffed already

[karynnj]

3. Very stupid proposal

- and like Ryan's proposal on Medicare extremely unpopular and it would either add to seniors' costs or greatly raise the deficit. Medicare costs LESS than a comparable private plan (as was seen by the fact that Medicare advantage was not cheaper as republicans said it would be.) The composite program is Medicare advantage on steroids - and it would likely fail as well - unless the voucher is set at more than the Medicare costs.

If I remember right, CBO was not impressed with the Ryan budget.

This has nothing to do with finding savings, it is an ideological demand - and they are trying to hold the Democrats hostage. I hope this article is widely seen.

[burning rain]

7. This is what passes for ideology with Republicans...

shovelling public moneys into the coffers of private insurance companies. Well has it been observed that conservatism has degenerated into a racket.

[asjr]

4. I thought blackmail was a crime.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. They just fucking want it all. Don't they. It's just never enough for these

fucking leeches.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

6. hahahhahahahahahahah

Yeah, right. Whatever! :eyes:

BTW what the hell is the Republican obsession with vouchers anyway? Vouchers for school, vouchers for Medicare, vouchers for veterans health care, vouchers for everything!!! It's too bad that they won't ever suggest giving us all vouchers to help us actually buy things that we need and could actually use like, say, gas, food, etc (but then that would probably just be considered "welfare" for lazy shiftless people, right)? :shrug:

[msongs]

8. great! overhaul = medicare for all or single payer. but dems r 2 effing craven to go for that nt