Conservative Media Attack Medicare, Will Medicare Be There, Medicare Demos Fall Flat

Bogus Heritage Report

From Media Matters:  "Yesterday Heritage released an 'Index of Dependence on Government' report.  Fox and others in the conservative media trumpeted the report.  But even a quick look at Heritage's report reveals its true intent: a thinly-veiled attempt to discredit important government programs such as Social Security and Medicare.  The report suggests that times were better when, rather than relying on a government-provided social safety net, Americans of limited means had to hope for 'support provided by families, churches, and other civil society groups.'"

Give this a must read.  An imaginary "think tank" creates its own rules and perspectives and tries to wrap serious academic language around its extreme views to give them a veneer of seriousness and standing.  NOT!

Future of Medicare

As Debate Continues over the Future of Medicare, Survey Reveals Seniors' Q42011 Confidence in Medicare Declined to 62% from Previous Quarter High of 73%.  "A survey of 337 retirees on Medicare revealed that 62% of respondents are 'somewhat' or 'very' confident that Medicare will be there for the rest of their lives.  These results compare with a confidence level of 73% when the same question was asked of seniors in a survey conducted in October 2011, and 69% and 57% when the same question was asked in surveys conducted in August and July, respectively."

Looks like the continuing attacks by Conservative Republicans are taking a  toll on people's belief that Medicare as we know it will continue to be available.  This creates an environment of fear where changes purported to be positive (and actually are not) are easier to put forward -- especially when the issues and implementation are complex.

If (respectable-sounding) vouchers ever passed, the Conservative Republicans then will begin to call them "Medicare-stamps," like Food Stamps, in an effort to tarnish them.  Meanwhile, Food Stamps are good for poor people, and they're good for hard-working farmers.

No Cost Savings for Medicare

"The influential Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently issued a disheartening report showing that 10 Medicare demonstration projects designed to reduce health care costs were largely ineffective.  The results were surely discouraging, but perhaps not entirely surprising.  The report looked at six demonstrations focused on disease management and care coordination, and four focused on payment reform, in Medicare's fee-for-service program."

The Republican Reality-Free Zone

Santorum: Obama Has Put America On ‘The Path’ Of Executing Religious People By Decapitation

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