Medicare back on the brink over cuts to doctors

Robert wrote:

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Actually they will get the same treatment as the rest of us regarding medicare. When they reach medicare age they go from the federal employees health care system to medicare just like the rest of us.
However, if you notice when they go into politics they usually are not millionaires but when they leave they are and as such are better able the deal with the shortfalls of the medicare system.

They don't even NEED Medicare. Most of them are provided a Cadillac health care plan for nothing, paid for by you and me.

It's obnoxious that these men and women are given the best of everything while taking more and more away from the rest of us.

One of the key talking points that Congressional Republicans are using to market their proposal converting Medicare into a voucher system is that the “reformed” plan would be comparable to what they receive in as members of Congress. But as the Washington Post points out today, uh, not even close.

The government pays 75% of health care costs for federal employees and members of Congress, but an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) finds that, by 2030, RepubliCare would pay just 32% of health costs and Medicare recipients would have to pick up the other 68%.

Despite overwhelming public opposition to RepubliCare, Washington state’s entire Republican delegation to Congress voted for it. And they are adhering closely to the script of its architect, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), in claiming it’s the same plan they get. In a recent opinion column, freshman Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA3) writes:

“It is similar to the health care plan members of Congress receive.”

But as the Washington Post explains in today’s Fact Check:

The focus on “a system just like members of Congress and federal employees have” suggests that this would be something better than the typical employee plan. But it will not have a key feature of the current plan — a promise that the government will pick up 75 percent of the health-care tab.

So hold onto your wallets, seniors (and all of you who hope to be seniors one day). If House Republicans have their way and replace your preferred health care plan, the government-run Medicare system, with private insurance coverage, you are going to be paying more. A lot more.

That’s because the federal “voucher” you receive to buy private insurance will be too skimpy to pay your premiums. The CBO estimates that by 2022 new enrollees would have to pay at least $6,400 more out of pocket to buy coverage comparable to traditional Medicare.

WMCOL wrote:

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Cut what can be cut without doing further damage to the most needy. The military is awash with unnecessary overspending. Put the ultra-rich tax brackets back to where they were before Bush and GOP changed them. However, the debt ceiling should have been raised, and if it was not a black man in the White House it would have been raised.
Also for Medicare and drugs, the Federal government should be allowed to negotiate for medical service and prescription medicine, and go where they can get the best rates and prices.

Please be specific as to what you want to cut. Would you cut millitary personell, cut a specific weapons program, a specific project, or remove our millitary from a specific location. because if you don't specifiy which millitary cuts, it will likely be in personell and that won't help the unemployment numbers. If you are specific enough and make a sane choice you just might find that I agree with you.

And if you increase tax rates, you just might end up collecting the same or less revenue than before, because most don't pay the marginal rate anyway. You would be much better off closing loopholes and capping deductions, I bet we could even agree on mnay of those.

You seem to be very confused, the debt ceiling was already raised and will likey be raised again.

And you seem misinformed about Medicare (includes drugs), the Federal government already sets the payment rates, they just cannot force drug companies and medical care providers to accept thier rates. Did you want to give the government the power to force providers to accept government rates? Do you understand the difference between neogiating and dictating?

obama cut 500 billion dollars out for HIS healthcare plan.

YouHelpFixIt wrote:

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Please be specific as to what you want to cut. Would you cut millitary personell, cut a specific weapons program, a specific project, or remove our millitary from a specific location. because if you don't specifiy which millitary cuts, it will likely be in personell and that won't help the unemployment numbers. If you are specific enough and make a sane choice you just might find that I agree with you.
And if you increase tax rates, you just might end up collecting the same or less revenue than before, because most don't pay the marginal rate anyway. You would be much better off closing loopholes and capping deductions, I bet we could even agree on mnay of those.
You seem to be very confused, the debt ceiling was already raised and will likey be raised again.
And you seem misinformed about Medicare (includes drugs), the Federal government already sets the payment rates, they just cannot force drug companies and medical care providers to accept thier rates. Did you want to give the government the power to force providers to accept government rates? Do you understand the difference between neogiating and dictating?

What do YOU suggest?

tidy catz wrote:

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What do YOU suggest?

I suggest allowing the doc fix to happen as it was intended when passed into law, allowing Medicare to stay solvent longer without eating up more of our GDP.

tidy catz wrote:

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Won't need to. The elderly of America won't find a doctor ANYWHERE.

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most elderly I know rely on the ER for their health needs since no private doctors will take medicare anymore