Manchin shutting down Sanders on Medicare expansion

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday shut down one of Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) biggest priorities, expanding Medicare, which Manchin warned would undermine the solvency of the broader program.

Sanders insisted in a tweet Saturday that his proposal to expand Medicare to cover dental, hearing and vision must be included in a budget reconciliation package, that is likely to come in well below the $3.5 trillion price tag Democratic leaders initially envisioned.

But Manchin on Monday threw cold water on Sanders’s push to expand Medicare, warning the program faces insolvency in 2026.

“My big concern right now is the 2026 deadline [for] Medicare insolvency and if no one’s concerned about that, I’ve got people — that’s a lifeline. Medicare and Social Security is a lifeline for people back in West Virginia, most people around the country,” Manchin warned.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/578319-manchin-shutting-down-sanders-on-medicare-expansion

[BlueJac]

1. Manchin only cares about money in his pocket.

He could careless about the American people!

[Hoyt]

2. Don't think they ever expected Dental to pass. They scheduled it for 2028.

[Rollo]

28. Yup...

... And then we wonder why so many seniors can't chew ...

[JT45242]

3. they can die at age 61 or toothless, blind, and deaf OK by manchin

Don't pee on my leg and tell me its raining Joe.

You want to talk about a lifeline --
... being able to hear so that you can communicate.
... being able to afford your prescriptions
... being able to get glasses so that you can see well enough to drive
... being able to afford to go to the dentist -- not just to save your teeth but to prevent pain and infections from absessed teeth.
... having insurance at age 60 so that you might be able to see a doctor for a preventative care.


But -- tax cuts for coal companies from the trump cut are still there.

My leg is wet but the sun is shining, stop lying to me -- you worthless POS.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. x 1000!

[airmid]

4. My comment about Manchin is not fit for human ears

[OldBaldy1701E]

17. Hear Hear! (n/t)

[OneCrazyDiamond]

5. Tax who ever you need, but

keep and fund Medicare.

[rickyhall]

6. Tax the rich, solve the problem.

Or make the rich pay what they owe.

[KPN]

7. Manchin is full of shit. Bernie and everyone else in the Democratic Party should call him on it.

"Insolvency" simply means being unable to pay for 100% of the services provided via Medicare Part A by 2026. The actual projections for shortfall amount to less that 10% -- and that projection extends out through 75 years, meaning Medicare would be able to meet 90% of its obligations through at least 2100.

Manchin is no better than a Republican wanting to fear-monger voters with his loose use of the term "insolvency". Yeah, Medicare is projected to have a shortfall by 2026, but that shortfall doesn't mean that Medicare is going bankrupt by any stretch and it is based on the current Medicare tax structure (1.45% on the first $200,000 of an employee's wages; 0.9% on wages exceeding $200,000). In other words, Medicare would be able to pay for at least 90% of all health services provided under Medicare in 2100 given current Medicare payroll tax projections. Can this be fixed? Absolutely and easily. Fuck Joe Manchin.

Bernie and the entire Democratic Party need to loudly call Joe Manchin on this bullshit right now. He is out to deceive the uninformed voter with his interests, not theirs, in mind. OUT Joe Manchin NOW!

ps: Here are some other facts on Medicare solvency I found at AARP --

o Medicare has faced projections of insolvency for the Part A trust fund throughout its history, but has always remained solvent. The trust fund has been within 10 years of insolvency 19 times since the program began.
o History reveals that trust fund solvency has been extended numerous times through a wide variety of incremental changes in Medicare policy. Some policies slowed spending growth; others increased Medicare’s revenues.
o As in the past, incremental adjustments can strengthen Medicare’s trust fund solvency and enable the program to continue protecting the people who rely on it today and in the future.

[link:https://www.aarp.org/ppi/info-2020/medicare-financial-outlook.html|

[Bayard]

8. Bernie needs to write another op-ed

[demosurvivor]

9. As long as

we continue to have idiots like Manchin and Sinema, our party will never move forward. The friggin lobbyists are in the pockets of these two, big time. Everyone knows that we will never allow Medicare and SS to fail.

And again, when in the hell is it finally going to be about the people?

[Delmette2.0]

10. Paging Katie Porter!

Please bring your whiteboard and meet Sen. Sanders in Sen. Manchin's office.

[paleotn]

11. This! +10,000 : -)

[FoxNewsSucks]

26. Yes!

We need a House full of Katie Porters and the Squad

[Fiendish Thingy]

12. Include the expansion and dare Manchin to vote No

Im OK if Bernie walks away from hostage negotiations- let Manchin shoot the hostage if he has the guts.

Seriously, Fuck these Saboteurs.

[hamsterjill]

13. +1000

At the very least, expose Manchin and his family for what they are.

[OldBaldy1701E]

18. Yep. (n/t)

[turbinetree]

14. Hey ***&%$#_)!@Manchin

let me give you a clue...... just on my PART D plan that I currently have and will leave on Jan 1, 2022.
My current plan cost me $26.40 a month, if I want the same plan, it is going to cost me $68.90 they only thing they did was change the fucking name so they could charge me more and plus the simple fact that my COLA went up some this year......have you looked at your drug plan lately, its taxpayer funded.......

[PatrickforB]

15. Lifeline, is it?? Well, raise taxes to fund the expansion -

THEN it can be a lifeline for MILLIONS more Americans.

Because right now the system we have is unconscionable.

[JudyM]

21. Tax stock transactions

Even a minuscule tax would be substantial in the aggregate.

[LudwigPastorius]

16. This guy...this Manchin...

This is not my kind of guy.

[mjvpi]

20. The Republicans, and now Manchin, have been pointing to this point of insolvency for years....

…..so where is his bill to fix it. By getting rid of the Trump tax cuts and tax loopholes, the reconciliation package is paid for. I assume that means the increases in benefits are paid for.

Senator Sanders should challenge Senator Machin to come up with a bill that will make sure that SS and Medicare stays solvent without cutting benefits.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

27. An impoverished population is a pliable population.

Social Security was created to solve the problem of people getting too old to work, yet having no assets or any other income source, which was a common at the time it was established -- and is moving in that direction today. True to form, the Repugs were against the plan, decrying "radical socialism" (or whatever the equivalent bogeyman was at that time) that would be the end of the world.

The constant threat of "Social Security insolvency" has been used by the GQP to argue against a variety of social programs. On a slightly related topic, I'm old enough to remember the promise of the "peace dividend," which would be all the money that would be freed up and available for progressive programs once the Cold War had been won. When the Soviet Union unexpectedly collapsed conservatives searched desperately for another enemy to justify reopening the money flow. Fortuitously, 9/11 happened, giving rise to the "war on terror," which will never end because you can't defeat a form of warfare. Even though experience has shown the best results are achieved with small, surgical actions, suddenly only huge weapons are required at equally huge price tags.

Needless to say, the peace dividend never happened.

Despite Manchin's intransigence, major changes in the structure of our society are going to happen. Employees are going to organize and demand a living wage, benefits and better working conditions. Medicare for all will happen, as will child care and the other elements of Biden's Build Back Better bill. This will be done, with or without Manchin. There is always a way, and once people see what is possible they will demand their representatives make it happen. It may take longer than it would with S&M's support, but it will happen. Our country has the wealth to make it happen -- it just needs to be distributed fairly.

First we have to is defeat the evil of Trumpism.

[Sucha NastyWoman]

22. Why don't we just have him write the bills

There’s not much compromising on his part.

[monkeyman1]

23. the only thing he can do is sign deposit slip's to his fat bank accounts !

[myohmy2]

24. I have a feeling...

...Bernie will hold firm...

...any one of the 50 Dem Senators can be a manchin...

...don't hold your breath...

...cut out or significantly reduce any one of the main provisions, I think it will die...

...take it to the people...blame who needs to be blamed...

...no Progressive worth his or her salt will kowtow to a manchin...

...hang in there...

[FoxNewsSucks]

25. Really?

Is this what we should be cheerleading?

Fuck the poor? Because the billionaires and corporations should never be expected to pay their fair share?