What is the Democratic plan to prevent Medicare bankruptcy?
Today, in his Morning Jolt newsletter (available by subscription), Jim Geraghty links Guy Benson’s piece about the Democratic National Committee Chairman’s appearance on Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room. Benson asks the question that anyone should ask Democrats who criticize Paul Ryan for his plan to reform Medicare and Mitt Romney for tapping the Wisconsin Republican as his running mate:
When Blitzer asks her to specify exactly how current or soon-to-be seniors would be impacted by the GOP plan, she cannot. Because they’re not. The Left is intellectually bankrupt on the very subject they claim will allow them to crush Mitt Romney in November. They despise the bipartisan solution Republicans have offered, but they have no alternative of their own. Dear Democrats, Medicare is slated to go bankrupt in 2024. You say it’s wrong for future seniors to be denied Medicare as it currently exists. Okay, what’s your plan, guys? We know that your actions have already cut Medicare by $700 Billion to pay for part of Obamacare. We also know that Obamacare establishes a government panel to ration care for the elderly. And yet the 2024 deadline is still coming. Again, what’s your plan, Democrats? Mr. President? Anyone?
Emphasis added. Writing about the “Blitzer dissection of Wasserman Schultz”, Jennifer Rubin wonders if others in the media are catching on to Democratic demagoguery on the Ryan reforms:
With a compliant media Democrats have gotten used to getting by on platitudes and false accusations. Romney and Ryan have the ability to challenges those talking points. And, judging from CNN’s Wolf Blitzer dissection of Wasserman Schultz, some in the media have figured out how to do it as well. Will Democrats raise their game and be more honest in characterizing the policies to which they object? Stay tuned.
Read the whole thing.
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What’s the plan?
Hope! and Change!
Supersized!
Is it fixed yet? No?
Do it again!
—————-
That is the summary version. Fluff with filler to make 2,000 pages, and you’re there.
Comment by alanstorm — August 14, 2012 @ 2:05 pm - August 14, 2012
1. Change the actuarial assumptions. For example, you can make Social Security immediately solvent if you move the average age of death to 64, or double the assumed average worker’s salary.
Whether these have any basis reality is questionable, but hey, you’re the government, so who can challenge your math?
2. Change the accounting rules, i.e. Obamacare’s double counting of Medicare dollars.
Whether these have any basis reality is questionable, but hey, you’re the government, so who can challenge your math?
It bears repeating that a private company that did this would be immediately prosecuted, with its executives going to jail for breach of fiduciary responsibility and clear intent to defraud by misrepresentation. So in other words, the Obama Party that screams about chicanery and fraud is itself practicing it on an epic scale.
Then there’s a few other tricks:
3. Reduce utilization. You can do this by a) outright denial of service, i.e. the Canada/UK/death panel model, or b) put the reimbursement rates so low that no provider will actually accept patients.
The Obama Party’s plan is to use b) to create a crisis to implement single-payer across the board, which will then switch to a) once the system has been completely nationalized and there are no other options.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — August 14, 2012 @ 2:05 pm - August 14, 2012
Speaking of point 3, it’s amazing how often I’ve had this conversation:
[Leftie] Sarah Palin’s ‘Death Panel’ claim was debunked! What a stupid liar she is!
[ILC] You do know that Obamacare envisions the rationing of care for the elderly by boards that they sometimes call ‘ethics boards’ or ‘ethics panels’, right? And you do know that all nationalized health care systems end up severely rationing care, sooner or later, and putting people through long waits where some of them die waiting for care, right? I think Palin might have been talking about stuff like that.
[Leftie] [blank stare]
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 14, 2012 @ 2:41 pm - August 14, 2012
Slightly O/T but Joltin’ Joe Biden is at it again. Instead of providing a plan for Medicare, he’s basically telling blacks that they are going to be slaves again if Romney gets into the White House:
http://freebeacon.com/biden-on-romney-theyre-going-to-put-yall-back-in-chains/
Interesting side note – the GOP was, is and will always be the party of Lincoln…who freed the slaves.
But then again, nobody ever said Joe Biden was as smart as, say, Sarah Palin.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — August 14, 2012 @ 4:20 pm - August 14, 2012
PS – I’m waiting for Snatch to disavow what the 2nd highest elected official in the USA said. But I’m not holding my breath.
I’d have a better chance of getting a date with Tim Tebow.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — August 14, 2012 @ 4:23 pm - August 14, 2012
How to save medicare, Democrat style:
1.) Tax the rich.
2.) Declare Medicare fixed by creative accounting.
3.) Dream up some new entitlements. (Marriage reparations for gays?)
4.) Blame Bush if the patient won’t stop hemorrhaging when regulated to do so.
Comment by heliotrope — August 14, 2012 @ 5:10 pm - August 14, 2012
Their plan… their REAL plan… is to raise taxes through the roof to pay for their welfare programs.
But they can’t admit it. And they can’t do it so long as Republicans are able to block them. But look at states Democrats control absolutely… Maryland, Illinois, California, Massachusetts… there is only one solution on the table: tax increases. Big ones.
Comment by V the K — August 14, 2012 @ 5:27 pm - August 14, 2012
Don’t rule out using a 36 pt. type face. (To give you an idea, an upper case E at 36 pts. is 1/2 inch tall.)
Comment by Bastiat Fan — August 14, 2012 @ 7:39 pm - August 14, 2012
Other than debasing the currency, the other tactic I expect the Dhimmicrats to deploy will be Death Panels for the Top-1%…that will actually affect the top-5%’s health benefits and pensions.
Failing that, they’ll follow the lead of the current German socialist ruling-party who are seriously-proposing a (one-time) capital excise-tax of 10% of the net-capital wealth of German taxpayers worth over 1-million Euros.
Think your IRA, Keogh or 401(k) is safe? The Federal Govt. can always change the tax-code enacting confiscatory tax-rates, and their “tax-free” or “tax-differed” isn’t legally-bonding anywhere in Federal Statute or the Constitution.
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — August 14, 2012 @ 7:53 pm - August 14, 2012
Peter + Tebow… now there’s a thought to dally on for a moment. Anyone who has met Peter will know the compliment I’m paying.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 14, 2012 @ 8:31 pm - August 14, 2012
#10 – Oh, ILC, stop it!! (Blush)
You just made my day. 😉
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — August 14, 2012 @ 9:30 pm - August 14, 2012
Yup.
Which is why I will never under any circumstances put money into a Roth plan.
401(k) and IRA = up front tax break, which is the only time you can count on it.
And Ted….that is what the Obama Party wants. Make no mistake, they’re already trying to get it.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — August 14, 2012 @ 11:54 pm - August 14, 2012
[…] What is the Democratic plan to prevent Medicare bankruptcy? […]
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Comment by ILoveCapitalism — August 15, 2012 @ 10:00 am - August 15, 2012
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