Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley: ‘We Should Be Lowering’ The Medicare ‘Age, Not Raising It’

[Report1212]

Now THAT'S a response:

--

“We should be lowering the age, not raising it,” Merkley said. Speaking of the president, Merkley added: “I hope he hears long and loud from us who are connected to the real lives of working people.”

Read more: http://boldprogressives.org/democratic-senator-jeff-merkley-we-should-be-lowering-the-medicare-age-not-raising-it/

[LWolf]

1. I hope he hears, too.

for my senator.

[classof56]

48. And I double your thumbs-up for our senator!

[xchrom]

2. du rec. nt

[Bjorn Against]

3. Lower the age to zero, make Medicare available to all

[Scuba]

6. +1,000

[gkhouston]

9. +1. Make it the biggest group insurance pool. n/t

[Overseas]

12. +1

[Lugnut]

19. + infinity! n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

21. +1000

[TahitiNut]

26. Bingo!

[NealK]

47. Great idea!

[Poll_Blind]

4. lib·er·al (adjective) - See Oregon Democrats

PB

[neverforget]

45. Except for my now Representative Kurt Schrader (fucking Blue Dog POS)

I went from Earl Blumenauer D-AWESOME! to this wanna be

[philly_bob]

5. Lower Medicare age means more people start small businesses...

...instead of staying on the job for the benefits.

[4_TN_TITANS]

7. Well said...

People at the height of their experience and skills, with the ability to strike out on their own. What's not to like?

[Scuba]

8. Love me some Democratic spine!!!!!

[Comrade_McKenzie]

10. I love Jeff Merkley. nt

[WillyT]

11. HUGE K & R !!!

[antigop]

13. k&r nt

[Bluenorthwest]

14. Merkley is the greatest. I worked hard to get him elected and I'm so glad that I did.

I join him in hoping the President is listening to those who are not Beltway Citizens and Republican stooges.

[Arugula Latte]

39. So glad he is my Senator.

He's consistently good -- one of the very few politicians who hasn't proven to be a disappointment in some way.

[TheKentuckian]

15. That is fuckin A right

[DallasNE]

16. This Is In Line With What I Have Been Posting

I have been saying to tie Medicare to Social Security, which allows for early retirement but with a reduced benefit and that would apply to Parts A, B and D. It may take a half percent increase in the payroll tax to pay for this because B and D are outside the Medicare financing arrangement today.

[Coyotl]

17. YES! That's my Senator

and my ex's good friend.

I'm in favor of 62, same as Social Security.

[jsr]

18. “I hope he hears long and loud from us who are connected to the real lives of working people.”

Amen to that.

[byeya]

20. Wonderful! The correct answer. In my opinion, the only answer.

Get profit out of the delivery of health care. Pay nurses what they are worth too.

[Bette Noir]

22. Is it wrong to have a crush on Senator Jeff?

He looks like such a dweeb on TV, you have no idea how cute he is in person.

[Report1212]

51. Nope!

This is the only proper response to the question, "Should we raise the Medicare age?"

[mountain grammy]

23. Yes, yes, yes.. Medicare for all. will send this to both my Democratic Senators!

[Historic NY]

24. A lot of folks hanging on with medical conditions until Medicare kicks in...

medicare improves the quality of life for some and thats important.

[SunSeeker]

25. K&R

[Cleita]

27. Yes, we should. We should be lowering it to zero. eom

[locks]

28. young and disabled

I was a social worker for many years; it was heartbreaking that working people who became disabled by a serious disease or injury and couldn't work could not get Medicare for two years. This was especially hard during the years when HIVAIDS patients died before Medicare kicked in. Many of these people under 65 had worked hard and had too much money for Medicaid but not enough to pay the huge hospital, doctor and home health costs. The "reason" behind that sad rule was that the government needed two years to "prove" that the disability was real. If, after bankrupting their families, they qualified for Medicaid, when they received disability payments and Medicare kicked in it did not cover all the meds or services they had received under Medicaid. All of this depended on whether they could find an MD who would take the ridiculously low payments.
The people we elect will never be connected to the rest of us as long as they receive the very best medical care and pay nothing for it.

[DaveJ]

37. What a nightmare

2 years to prove a disability is ridiculous. It's the weakest among us who are treated the worst. I can't believe Republicans get so much of the Christian vote. What hypocrites.

[femrap]

43. The reason

I purchased a gun is so I don't have to go through this disgustingly torturous system.

I won't do it. I want to have my freedom to make choices for MY life.

[docgee]

29. This should be a no brainer...

Lower it to 55, have those 55-65 working people pay into it with rates relative* to paying private insurance, and Medicare would be much more viable.

*relative meaning less than private insurance of course, but I don't know what that would be exactly.

hell, it could even be voluntary.

[Turbineguy]

30. But if we raise the Medicare age

the gap will be paid for by magic money!

You Democrats don't know shit about republican economics!

[CrispyQ]

31. I mentioned him by name in my letters to my Senators.

Senator Merkley,

[limpyhobbler]

32. k&r nt

[blkmusclmachine]

33. Raise it, to drown it.

Forward, Austerity!

.

Operation Northwoods: The 9/11 You Never Knew

[EC]

34. Having younger people in the pool

would lower the cost - should save money in long-run. Even better OPEN IT FOR ALL.

[closeupready]

35. Completely agree. Entrepreneurial boom would follow.

K&R

[davidpdx]

36. Merkley is a gem

And he is one of my two senators.

[L0oniX]

38. Lowering the age will lower costs by reducing late stage illnesses.

[truedelphi]

56. +10,000 n/t

[Permanut]

40. Wow, lots of Oregonians in this thread..

Proud to say he's my Senator too.

[nineteen50]

41. The real death panel

raising the Medicare age requirement.

[femrap]

42. Thank you....

then the old folks could retire and let the younger people have jobs.

I'm so tired of my HEALTH being dependent upon mostly a bunch of rich, white dudes who couldn't care less about me. All these dudes are in the pockets of Big Pharma, Big Insurance, Big Med...which just wants to take my last f*cking cent then send me to some horrid nursing home or hospice where they still won't kill me. It's all just a system of TORTURE.

We give our pets more respect when they reach old age.

[upi402]

44. They better listen

Or go away.

[99th_Monkey]

46. YES. That's MY Senator. A real D. Go Jeff!!! nt

[xxxsdesdexxx]

49. I agree.

Call it what you want it can be Medicare for all, Single Payer, or Government funded health insurance. I don't care. With everyone in Washington obsessed with the deficit, I see no better way to immediately reduce it than by insuring every single person in the United States with a single payer, government run, health insurance system. We would eliminate the "for profit" middle men known as the health insurance industry, and we would replace it with a "not for profit" government run health care system. We would have the power to reduce health care costs by negotiating for lower prices on all health care related expenses -- health care, prescription drugs, medical equipment & devices, etc. -- due to our sheer numbers. We should also include dental insurance as part of this single payer, medicare for all, program. We should contact our members of congress and the president -- repeatedly -- until they understand that this is our path forward -- this is our destiny. It's not a matter of us getting there, it's a matter of when we get there.

[xxxsdesdexxx]

50. Just sent this message to my members of congress and to the white house

They need to hear it from all of us.

[defacto7]

52. K&R !

[andym]

53. We almost did (to 55)-- if it weren't for Joe Lieberman

who prevented it in early 2010, after having previously supported the idea when running for office.

[xxqqqzme]

54. Yes, yes, yes.

Then have no age limit because Medicare will be single payer!

[dkf]

55. Health insurance is generally so heavily subsidized by employers people don't see the true cost.

Open up Medicare and have everyone pay full boat and it will be expensive.