Re: Obama cancles Medicare
- From: "rainbowcrystalkitchen@xxxxxxxxx" <rainbowcrystalkitchen@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:57:35 -0700 (PDT)
On Aug 27, 10:13 am, "maryk" <inva...@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I'm only a messenger, repeating what OBAMA said about his own Obamacare.
Your health care is getting the axe.
Sprinkle some more of that Obama dust in your eyes, you wont believe what
will happen to you.
"Connie" <tucson.con...@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:zRylm.126385$O23.38308@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
You're still an idiot.
"featherlite" <noth...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:h768li$79v$1@xxxxxxxxxxx
President Barack Obama was wise to vacation this week on Martha's
Vineyard. Not because it's one of the few places in America where his
health-care plan is still popular, but because by getting out of
Washington he gave staff time to repair his vaunted message machine,
which was starting to break down.
Two weeks ago, White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod said in a now
legendary "viral" email that, "It's a myth that health insurance reform
would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits." This was sent out the
day before Mr. Obama told a Montana town hall that he'd pay for
health-care reform by "eliminating . . . about $177 billion over 10
years" for "what's called Medicare Advantage." And it was two days before
Mr. Obama told a Colorado town hall he'd cover "two-thirds" of the
"roughly $900 billion" of his plan's cost by "eliminating waste," again
citing Medicare Advantage.
Who's right? As a former senior adviser, I can tell you who: the
president. What's more, according to a White House fact sheet titled
"Paying for Health Care Reform," Mr. Axelrod was misleading his readers.
It notes the administration would cut $622 billion from Medicare and
Medicaid, with a big chunk coming from Medicare Advantage, to pay for
overhauling health care. Mr. Obama heralded these cuts as "common sense"
in his June 13 radio address.
Medicare Advantage was enacted in 2003 to allow seniors to use Medicare
funds to buy private insurance plans that fit their needs and their
budgets. They get better care and better value for their money.
Medicare Advantage also has built-in incentives to encourage insurers to
offer lower costs and better benefits. It's a program that puts patients
in charge, not the government, which is why seniors like it and probably
why the administration hates it.
Already, an estimated 10.2 million seniors-one out of five in
America-have enrolled in Medicare Advantage. Mr. Obama is proposing to
cut the program by nearly 20% and thus reduce the amount of money each
will have to buy insurance. This will likely force most of them to lose
the insurance they have now. Yet Mr. Obama promised in late July in New
Hampshire that, "if you like your health-care plan, you can keep your
health-care plan."
There are roughly 23,400 seniors on average in a congressional district
who have Medicare Advantage, but who face losing it if Mr. Obama has his
way. That's enough votes to tip most competitive House and Senate races.
Back in 2006, Mr. Obama and other Democrats railed against GOP
efforts-modest though they were-to slow future Medicare spending growth.
Now he and his party may reap what they have sown. As the president
pushes to enact an overall cut to Medicare he will imperil Democrats in
tough re-election races. Mr. Obama has a dangerous old tiger by the tail.
Seniors are much more likely to vote than the population at large.
Adding to the Democrats' woes are polls that show weak support for
ObamaCare among Independents and Democrats. In the new ABC/Washington
Post poll, only 45% approved of Mr. Obama's plan and 50% opposed it-with
40% "strongly" opposed.
Despite Mr. Obama's barnstorming tour, last week's Fox/Opinion Dynamics
poll said "the health care reform legislation being considered right now"
is opposed by 21% of Democrats, 50% of Independents, and 81% of
Republicans. Only 37% of Democrats and 15% of Independents think their
families would be better off if it passed.
The problem for Mr. Obama is that he lacks credibility when he asserts
his plan won't add to the deficit or won't lead to rationing; that people
can keep their health plans; that every family's health care will be
better, not worse; and that a government run plan isn't a threat to
private insurance. A large number of Americans don't believe the
president on this.
With this week's $2 trillion upward revision in the White House's deficit
projections, August has been the cruelest month for Mr. Obama. The
president is now facing a politically explosive mix of unpopular policies
and an angered electorate.
It's still too early to count Mr. Obama out. His team will be back in
Washington next week. They'll work on their messaging and have more than
$100 million-much of it from pharmaceutical companies-to spend on ads
bludgeoning reluctant Democrats and energized Republicans.
The White House will exert enormous pressure-and in the spirit of
Chicago-style politics, employ threats when necessary-with Senate and
House Democrats. The health-care battle, already intense, will get more
so in the months ahead. ObamaCare is unpopular, but it is far from
defeated.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405297020370660457437458417763....- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
and of course we're all expected you believe you arent we....Will Lie
Oleary
.
- References:
- Obama cancles Medicare
- From: featherlite
- Re: Obama cancles Medicare
- From: Connie
- Re: Obama cancles Medicare
- From: maryk
- Obama cancles Medicare
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