The 46 year Republican war against medicare.

[Swede]

Last week, in a dramatic vote, the House of Representatives voted to effectively end Medicare by voting for Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget proposal. Under Ryan’s plan, the public health insurance system known as Medicare would be replaced with a system of inadequate subsidies seniors would use to purchase private insurance.

All but four House Republicans voted for Ryan’s plan. Since the vote, Republicans have been engaged in a major public relations effort where they are claiming they actually are “saving Medicare” by ending its status as public health insurance program and handing seniors over to insurance companies.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/23/flashback-republicans-medicare-never/

[xmas74]

1. I work with a woman,

staunchly Republican her entire life. Her husband is a (now) retired farmer and a long time member of our counties Republican Party. A couple of days ago we were on break at work and she brings this up. She stated that she will never vote Republican again after hearing them lie about something she's paid in on her entire working life. She also said that her husband is so upset he's talking about publicly leaving the party.

[Mojeoux]

8. They seem like the sensible, kind of Conservatives.

I am fortified to read of their awakening.

[xmas74]

11. I don't know about that.

They are anti-choice (I don't like the term "pro life"), they have problems with gays and lesbians, they have-no point in listing. It's a very long list.

What they are upset about now is that they paid into something and now they could lose it. She said if not them then their children will lose it, after paying into it. She said that she and her husband view this as a service and that if it had been any other place backing out of a deal they could (and would) sue for breach of contract, possibly find out about prosecuting for theft. She was nearly in tears, talking about how she felt like they were trying to rob her.

[Mojeoux]

16. It must be confusing for them. Who to hate, who to believe.

Maybe they will start a new tea party. And that party will split in two and then again.

[xmas74]

18. Now that I could envision. nt

[dkf]

2. Why did they add Part D then?

Was it an effort to make medicare insolvent sooner?

[SoCalDem]

3. It was a plan to "humanize" GW a bit (like the AIDS in Africa assistance)

He had a lot of "hardwerk" to do, and all of it ugly as sin.. Those two "efforts" were to make him seem not quite so evil, and of course neither was funded properly (and they knew it going in), so they could do it.

It was also a way to "use" some of the surplus, and to put dems who voted against it, on the ropes when the next election rolled around..

Republicans are very good at this sort of thing. What a lot of people forget, is that during the run-up time between the suggestion of the bill and the implementation, the RX companies were free to raise prices like crazy, so that the "discounts" would still mean that they were making as much as or more than ever

[WinkyDink]

9. That's really irrelevant, given the latest House vote.

[madinmaryland]

4. Part D is a joke. It was plain and simple a giveaway to Big Pharma.

They don't even allow the government to use its bargaining power for lower prices with the Pharmaceuticals.

:mad:

[dkf]

5. Do you think we should get rid of it?

[Wounded Bear]

6. No.....fix it....

Obama said he wanted this corrected in his big deficit reduction speech.

It's a odious requirement.

[madinmaryland]

7. No. I think it should be fixed. The government should be allowed to bargain

for the lowest cost. They should get rid of the "donut hole". And it should be paid for with tax increases on the wealthy.

[dkf]

10. Medicare isn't capped so you can't increase the wages to which it applies.

Are you suggesting they start tiering medicare taxes? Or do you want that as part of the federal budget which would then require funding votes every year?

[madinmaryland]

12. Yes, I would prefer as you suggest a tiered medicare tax.

[dkf]

13. It's something to consider.

Personally I think the health care payment system is broken and is unfixable. I see no point in arguing for anything but single payer. But if you want to advocate a more progressive system for Medicare then more power to you.

[madinmaryland]

14. Well, put that way...

I would obviously prefer a single payer system paid for using a progressive taxation system where the wealthy pay a larger portion into the system. How would you suggest paying for a single payer system?

[dkf]

15. I'd say it should be part of the income tax structure.

Maybe even partially funded by the estate tax. That really is the only place to recapture taxes that should have been paid but were subsidized by the Social Security surplus.

[defendandprotect]

17. kr