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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 08:02 PM Mar 2015

House Passes GOP Budget To Privatize Medicare For 5th Straight Year

Source: TPM

WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a far-reaching budget blueprint for the fifth consecutive year that partially privatizes Medicare.

The budget was approved Wednesday by a vote of 219-208, overcoming Republican defections.

Like previous proposals by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), the new plan by House Budget Chair Tom Price (R-GA) transforms Medicare after 10 years into a market exchange (which bears many similarities to Obamacare) where seniors receive a federal subsidy to buy insurance from a menu of options.

The menu includes private insurance plans and the option of staying in traditional Medicare. Like Ryan's proposal last year, it does not impose a cap on how much Medicare is allowed to spend per beneficiary, a GOP budget aide said. It is a response to criticism that the "premium support" structure could lead to high out-of-pocket costs that make coverage unaffordable for seniors.

-snip-

Read more: Link to source

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lexx21

(321 posts)
2. And during the next financial meltdown....
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 08:44 PM
Mar 2015

all of those why rely on medicare will be shit out of luck because there won't be any money to pay for medical costs. I just wonder WHO will be profiting if it were made private as I don't think that the republican congress would do something like this out of the goodness of their "hearts".....

mpcamb

(2,856 posts)
3. This should be a Democratic handout for everyone running for office for voters over 65.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 09:49 PM
Mar 2015

Last edited Thu Mar 26, 2015, 03:01 PM - Edit history (1)

This should be a Democratic handout for everyone running for office for voter over 65.

THEY WANT TO TAKE YOUR MEDICARE AWAY!!!

You put YOUR money in for 45 years and they want to take it away!!!!!!!!

Faryn Balyncd

(5,125 posts)
4. Making Medicare optional will encourage physicians to become NON-PARTICIPATING in Medicare.
Wed Mar 25, 2015, 11:54 PM
Mar 2015


While there are some physicians who do not participate in Medicare, if this bill ever became law, one should expect a mass exodus of providers from "Medicare Participation". Patients could much more easily be told they would need to switch to a private option to continue care with a given physician.

With declining physician Medicare Participation, one should then expect similar experiences for Medicare (and also private insured patients) as seen now by insured patients in Texas who find 50% of ER charges billed as "out-of-network" even when provide as in-network hospitals for services that they were never notified of non-coverage before the surprise bill arrived. (This cannot currently happen to Medicare beneficiaries, as a non-participating provider cannot provide services to a Medicare patient without notifying the patient in advance that the provider does not participate in Medicare.)

Patients would then pay not only 100%, but would be billed a fantasy "regular rate", of 500% more than either Medicare, or any insurance company ever pays.

This Republican plan is for nothing less than the total destruction of Medicare.





riversedge

(69,731 posts)
5. Except for the man in the WH--we are getting closer to this being a reality....
Thu Mar 26, 2015, 04:34 AM
Mar 2015

It is scary to say the least

turbinetree

(24,632 posts)
6. VOTE
Thu Mar 26, 2015, 12:53 PM
Mar 2015

This is why we need to vote, and why the U.S. Supreme court needs to be more progressive
The republicans always and I mean always attack the individual and the family to give the citizens of this countries wealth to the billionaires and millionaires.
This MEANS test, is what it implies it is, a MEANS TEST and this is not good, this is a back door attempt to MEANS TEST, I cannot stress this enough, Social Security and other public programs are being subjected to this right now and all it is a further escalation on the citizens of this country for pure greed


 

Willem

(12 posts)
11. nasty
Sat Mar 28, 2015, 12:38 AM
Mar 2015

Privatization is selling our culture to the highest bidder or most favored campaign contributor. I submitted a Whitehouse petition against privatization and need signatures. Http://wh.gov/iWmao

stillwaiting

(3,795 posts)
14. Do you think the Dems will FIGHT BACK on this?
Sun Mar 29, 2015, 07:46 PM
Mar 2015

Shouldn't it be super easy to point to this, state what the Repubs have done and get people to wake up?

If the Dems don't fight back when the Repubs give them so very much to work with, why don't they?

This is big stuff here.

wolfie001

(2,131 posts)
15. The question should be......
Mon Mar 30, 2015, 08:55 AM
Mar 2015

.....why are the voters re-electing these RW jackasses! The Dems should be driving this home EVERY ELECTION! Unless of course it's part of the DNC philosophy as well..... dammit!

stillwaiting

(3,795 posts)
17. If elected Dems don't hammer the Repubs for their COUNTLESS ridiculous moves
Mon Mar 30, 2015, 09:37 AM
Mar 2015

it becomes MUCH easier to understand why people keep re-electing these RW jackasses.

If the Dem Party acted as a truly opposition party to the Repubs, instead of continuously clamoring for bipartisanship (which clearly props up and validates Republicans) with a Party that has gone way off the deep end, lots of people might finally start to get what the Republicans are all about.

Elected Dems have COUNTLESS opportunities to paint the Republican Party as an extremist Party, but they never seem able to do so. There is no excuse for this.

One thing we have to always remember. When centrist Dems LOSE elections they still win. They get very nice jobs and are set for life financially. If centrist Dems clamor for bipartisanship, do nothing to help average Americans and lose their office, they are still financial winners for life.

I definitely blame the voters that keep voting Republican, but I equally (at the very least) blame elected Democrats and the Democratic Party itself. They have absolutely failed to be an opposition Party to the Republicans.

With that said, it is still important to elect Democrats, but I don't have to cheerlead for them. It's purely a defensive move.

And the DNC philosophy clearly seems to care more about bipartisanship with an insane Party than FIGHTING for the values they supposedly hold.

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