And, of course, this will have “trickle down” effects:
Seniors who were able to accumulate any wealth in their lifetimes will be wiped out. The money won’t go to their descendants and they probably won’t be able to live independent lives.
Prepare the spare room forever.
And THAT’S the main reason I believe the ACA will survive yet Medicare will be eliminated.
Despite all the whining of the health ins. CEO’s, at least some portion of ACA users are healthy. The pool of Medicare users are much sicker, by default, and use health insurance much more than the general population.
Those of us over 55 who may not be affected by this proposed change STILL CARE about Medicare being there for our kids, our relatives, and all Americans. I will fight like never before to save it for everyone.
Which is why Dems better SCREAM that Ryan is LYING about the ACA’s impact on Medicare’s finances.
The other thing that occurs is that when the young working people see that it isn’t ever a benefit for them, see nice Del Rey 55 and over communities, elderly driving their RV’s (stereotypes only…) while they are burdened with debt, they will be just fine with means testing, then it will be a program for the poor only, and then easy to cut back on.
I doubt it will be a phase-out. I’m guessing they propose halting Medicare spending levels for a year (which would take the system through most of 2018), still collect every single penny of “Medicare” payroll taxes–maybe even increase them. Before the end of FY2018, they will have devised a plan for doling out “vouchers” to those who are eligible, simultaneously with allowing health insurance companies to relocate anywhere they see fit while offering policies across state lines – in addition to outlawing states from regulating them in any way, shape or form (IOW, one blanket federal set of “rules”). They’ve been wanting to do this for many decades now, and it would be the easiest, quickest way to start ending “ObamaCare,” free up the insurance corporations to maximize profits on Wall Street and end Medicare as we know it in one fell swoop.
Doesnt matter. Media doesnt care nor do the common people. Their hatred/ignorance trumps common sense.
For real TPM? Can we not call this “Medicare Reform” and a “Medicare overhaul”? This plays precisely into the narrative the GOP will be pushing.
Ryan: Taking away people’s Medicare will up their economic anxiety, which will mean Trumpist presidents for the foreseeable future. Win-win!
ERs are an expensive way to treat ongoing or preventable diseases. No ER does chemo, ever. Infected ulcerous feet are a lot more expensive than daily diabetic medicine. That’s not even quality of life, it’s economics. And it’s a myth that the ER is free if you don’t have insurance. Maybe it is if you are homeless and without any assets already.
Yep. And THE WORST aspect of this is…
We lost the power of the veto pen.
Some of the most heinous sh*t imaginable will be enacted because, remember, - Rump won’t be reading things like PDB’s and bills: Jared will translate all that stuff to him and tell him “Sign there.”
I wouldn’t be so sure. The goal is to privatize it, which is a euphemism for LOOTING it. And given that looting is the ONLY thing Rethuglicans are actually good at …
I’ve been blogging about this elsewhere. This is a broken promise by Trump not to touch Medicare. Huge effect on everyone. This is the first big issue that Democrats should be all over.
Why is it when they say “reform,” it always means “destroy?”
Welp, thank you for handing struggling Dems a winning cause to fight for. God bless you for being a bunch of overreaching dumbfucks.
Holy smoke. That’s your take? Are you saying that this an “olds” vs “millennial” issue?
Only those over 67 in 2020. Lots of near- retirees are going to be left out in the cold… like me.
If Congress has the same sh*tty healthcare options we will have, then maybe they would think twice…BUT they have gold-standard healthcare and are protected from their stupid ideas.
Do you trust Ryan? “Grandfathered” Don’t trust him at all.
I’m from Colorado - have just called my reps. Here’s the breakdown:
Senator Gardner® - The staffer who I talked to said Sen. Gardner supports Medicare as it is now. Pretty straightforward answer, but, since there’s an “R” behind his name, we’ll see what pressures will be brought to bear on him.
Senator Bennet(D) - The staffer said he “hasn’t talked to Sen. Bennet specifically about Paul Ryan’s plan” but notes the senator’s previously stated support for Medicare as it is now.
Representative Polis(D) 2nd district - The staffer said he hadn’t spoken specifically about this with Rep Polis, gave boilerplate language that the Rep. supports Medicare. I told him that wasn’t enough, given the timeline, and I would be checking back frequently to see who he sides with in this particular legislative fight.
I would note this is a classic example of “The Shock Doctrine” as written about by Naomi Kline in her 2007 book. It is a (sometimes enviable) characteristic of the R’s that they play the long game and look for an opportunity, such as now, when the opposition is in disarray. I doubt all the folks who voted for Trump really want to turn Medicare into a voucher system. The plan to only apply this to those 55 and younger, however, plays to the “I got mine” lizard brain of those people. Didn’t I read recently that conservatives have larger amygdalas (i.e. lizard brains)than progressives?