Romney and Medicare Facts, AARP Advocates for Medicare, Dems Still Pushing Their Advantage With Medicare

Real (Not Romney) Medicare Facts: More About 2012 Elections

"In the new Republican-controlled House of Representative in 2011, House Budget Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) advanced a controversial federal budget plan which included a major restructuring of the Medicare program to change the program from largely fee-for-service to premium support/vouchers.  This proposal drew widespread praise and condemnation, and mountains of attention.  Less noticed was the part of the Ryan budget plan which repealed most of the ACA, with one huge and unnoticed exception -- the $449 billion in Medicare reductions, documented in the CBO report on the Ryan plan."

"If, in the coming fall elections, Republicans hold onto control of the House, win the Senate, and win the White House, it is clear how they will try  to repeal the ACA.  They will repeal all the access expansions for private insurance and Medicaid scheduled to take effect in January 2014; they will repeal all the tax increases on higher income, on insurance and drug companies, to pay for those expansions; and they will leave in place the $449B in Medicare reductions that they used to such great effect against Democrats.  That way they can repeal the law using the budget reconciliation process because such a move would reduce the federal deficit.  Never mind that hospitals, home health agencies, and others supported the $449B reductions only because they would be helped by the insurance coverage increases the Republicans will be sure to repeal."

Thus, the savings that Republicans tried to portray as cuts would not be restored anyway, in fact reducing Medicare financing.  Clearly, older people are the targets of those who want their votes, and it's more and more difficult to keep the truth straight.  However, it's more than clear that there is AN ALL OUT WAR to dismantle Medicare.  Looks like senior organizations and healthcare providers will become very good friends this year.

AARP Keeps Fighting

"A groundswell of opposition from AARP members helped persuade Congress not to cut Social Security or Medicare benefits in 2011 as part of federal debt reduction efforts.  Having lost faith in politicians’ ability to solve their problems, 50+ Americans took matters into their own hands -- sending 7 million emails, phone calls, letters and petitions to Congress through AARP’s Protect Seniors initiative."

On A Medicare Roll for 2012

"The Democratic representative charged with taking back the House says the election will be about one issue -- Medicare -- and his party 'is in a much better place than anyone thought we would be' to put Nancy Pelosi back in the speaker's chair.  'This is going to be razor sharp,' Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) said on C-Span's Newsmakers, airing on Sunday. 'We are ahead in the generic polls ...  it is a good indicator and right now we are up in every single generic ballot.'"

Really nothing new here, but we need to note that the drum beat will continue until November.

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