White House offer to increase age of Medicare eligibility could save $125B over 10 years

[Karmadillo]

Wouldn't a 10% cut in the defense budget save at least four times as much over the next ten years? Why hasn't the White House put that on the table? President Obama said he's willing to take the heat and sacrifice his presidency for a deal. Why not take the heat for cutting welfare for the MIC instead of going after the elderly?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2011-07-13-obama-plan-raise-medicare-age_n.htm
By Kelly Kennedy, USA TODAY

Medicare age hike could save $125B over 10 years

WASHINGTON — A White House offer to increase the age of Medicare eligibility to 67 as a compromise to Republicans during budget talks would save about $125 billion over 10 years, records show, but such a move could leave many seniors without care if last year's health care law were repealed.

As President Obama worked with Republican leaders to make an Aug. 2 deadline for raising the nation's borrowing limit, Obama proposed raising the age of eligibility incrementally through 2036, according to a briefing document prepared by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va.

Raising the eligibility age from 65 to 67 would save $124.8 billion by 2021, according to a March report by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Such a move would track the increase in the age at which individuals would become eligible for Social Security.

Savings would actually be higher but would be offset by increased spending to help seniors between 65 and 67 pay for health insurance under the 2010 health care law, the CBO report said. The law would allow those seniors to buy insurance through state insurance exchanges, and, if their incomes were lower than 400% of the poverty level, they would receive government help to pay for it.

more...

[CBGLuthier]

1. and at most only maybe 10,000 to 50,000 people will die because of it

Sure we may get our hair mussed and all......

[indepat]

19. Such small prices to pay for the glory and joys of living in a RW-controlled

society wherein the poor, the old, and the infirmed are sacrificed so the uber-wealthy and large corporation can continue their feeding frenzy sucking at the public welfare teat. :shrug: :patriot:

[SugarShack]

21. Correct,,,right now those who can retire at 62 can't due to private insurance costs. So raising age?

[Amonester]

33. and they'll use them to make daily soylent green rations free for

tens of million hungry mouths out in the dead-heat

[myrna minx]

2. Who cares about the lives of a thousands of people when Rupert Murdoch

clearly needs more tax cuts?

[xchrom]

3. recommend

[Larkspur]

4. Obama may offer that but House Dems won't retake the House by voting to increase

the age of eligibility from 65 to 67. A few days ago the head of the DCCC said that he'd have a hard time finding Democratic candidates to run if cuts were made to Medicare and SS.

Senate Dems won't be able to increase their numbers either.

I pray that the House and Senate Dems reject Obama's plan to raise the eligibility age for Medicare. It's a losing issue for working Americans.

[SugarShack]

24. All this capitulation, maybe Obama doesn't care about dems winning???

[Amonester]

34. looks like he doesn't care about himself winning also

so he'll be free to join the ex-prez multi-million making speech tour to secure his beautiful daughter's future.

wouldn't blame him for that, but still...

[FiveGoodMen]

36. Obama is in the White House so that the pukes can have their way and blame it all on the Dems

Period.

[KeepItReal]

5. Why don't you buy X less stealth fighters or boats over 10 years?

Seriously.

[BillStein]

6. One more time,

Medicare for all, goshdarn* it!

[Duer 157099]

7. And how many jobs will it cost the younger generations?

Stupid short term thinking. As if the job market isn't bad enough, we have to keep people from retiring an extra two years so they can keep their health insurance. Nice.

[gratuitous]

8. Some compromise

But I guess anything is preferable to the heinous prospect of Rupert Murdoch having to pay an extra three cents in taxes on his "earnings" above a quarter million a year. Suck it up, sickos! And quietly contemplate your poor life choices in deciding to be old and sick instead of a media supermogul. Bet you'll think twice next time, won't you?

[ZombieHorde]

9. I wonder how much not bombing Islamic countries would save us. nt

[JDPriestly]

10. I bet they could save 20% of the military budget if they just

ended cost-plus contracts and went after corruption.

[somone]

11. U.S. Annual Air-Conditioning Cost in Iraq and Afghanistan: $20.2 billion

http://www.npr.org/2011/06/25/137414737/among-the-costs-of-war-20b-in-air-conditioning

[JHB]

12. It's not "saving" that money, it's pushing it onto individuals...

...and the ones who can't pony up the cash for two years may pay with their lives.

[kenny blankenship]

13. We can SAVE Medicare for 67yr olds, just shore it up w the mummified remains of 65 & 66ers!

Skip forward 8 years...

Listen Dems! We can save Medicare for the 69 yr olds - just form a protective barrier around it with the dessicated husks of 67 & 68yr olds that will fall by the wayside (they weren't going to last long anyhow). You know we have to do this - there is no alternative!

And so on.

[Vinca]

14. What's more important? Saving money or saving lives?

Medicare would be more viable if the age was lowered and younger, healthier people were contributing to the pool. They never take the compassionate way out . . . it's always money, money, money, money, money.

[slay]

15. Or lets see we could.. End some fucking wars! .. or we could Tax the rich! .. but instead

they want to go after seniors! don't fall for this bullshit!!! :mad:

[somone]

16. 2012 GOP campaign: Obama bailed out Wall Street, cut Medicare eligibility

[OHdem10]

17. Of course it saves money. but on the backs of working class.

[jtown1123]

18. Disgusting. Priorities.

[Festivito]

20. Did the CBO use "could", meaning as long as people don't put off help that becomes expensive later?

I think the CBO does a good job, but making all those calculations would not be warranted at this point in the debate.

[WinkyDink]

22. Peanuts per annum. But hey: just get a part-time job at 66:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1484418&mesg_id=1484418

[theaocp]

31. Wow, that person is heartless and cruel.

Thanks for the link.

[CreekDog]

23. so would old folks dying earlier

i don't consider that a good proposal either. :eyes:

[SugarShack]

25. Well, they won't be buying private insurance. Figure it out! Bye bye Obama...

[fascisthunter]

26. he will lose a lot of voters

[LaydeeBug]

27. and if we eliminate it altogether, I bet it'd save whole lot more, but at what COST to The People?

and their health? To the indigent? To the elderly. This article is just fucking disgusting.

Seriously.

[ProSense]

28. Obviously

the media missed this.

[msongs]

29. aircraft carrier 24bil, loans to nuke power 36 bil, there's almost half of it with 2 things nt

[meow mix]

30. amazing chess skillz!

checkmating seniors into an early grave

[flamingdem]

32. The increase in Medicare age eligibility is not supposed to happen until year 2035 nt

[jtown1123]

35. Oh so you're OK with that?

Ridiculous. This is a false choice that will cause hardship.