Posted on 12/07/2009 2:55:16 AM PST by Scanian
As Senate Democrats hung together last week on a "test" vote on health care reform, their willingness to cut Medicare to fund their colossal plan revealed their willingness to abandon the most vulnerable among us - the frail and elderly. Many among the oldest of the old receive in-home care, something that is essential as it helps reduce hospital admissions or winding up in a nursing home. It also provides access to medical services for those with the added challenge of living in rural communities.
Home health care will be a casualty of the current bill as it is slated to absorb more than 10% of the Medicare cut. Ironically, proponents of health care reform brag about how the bill will reduce costly hospitalizations of elderly folks. But by slashing home health care, the effect will be the opposite of their stated intentions. More elderly patients will be hospitalized as a result, not less.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
From what I understand the scum will not really cut anything. Every year they will simply vote to defer the cuts.
More insanity from the supposed party of “compassion” and “caring.”
The only good thing I can see coming out of this is AARP losing every ounce of credibility it has. They had better watch it. Those discounts aren’t going to make up for the scorn folks have and elderly people are not idiots like these young dumbies think they are.
And by the way AARP, how can your membership thrive if your target customer is DEAD or in a nursing home?
Ping.
The drastic cuts in home care funding under Medicare accomplish two important things for dems and the union thugs that back them. Not only does this allow the funding to be spent elsewhere in the health care economy, it also is a sop to health care workers unions. The SEIU has always opposed home care, for the same reason the garment workers unions back in the thirties opposed allowing home manufacture of clothing (prohibitions of such work still exist the the Fair Labor Standards Act): home workers are nearly impossible to unionize. Illinois home care workers, for example, just resoundingly defeated a vote for unionization. By robbing Granny of the ability to live with dignity in her home, and forcing her into assisted living or a nursing home, the unions will be much more likely to be able to unionize the workers involved.
I am beginning to believe that the health care reform planned by Democrats is nothing less than an attempt to wipe out the baby boomers who have been the ‘bulge in the snake’ at every point in their life-cycle history. The motivation is to reduce the ‘burden’ on society at large from private pension, Social Security and Medicare costs.
The Dems are scum of the lowest form.
Even the LIBERAL Washington Post says we Seniors are going to get hit HARD by obamacare: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/14/AR2009111402597.html?hpid=topnews
BOHICA means bend over here it comes again
10% hike in ins premiums http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/69763-cbo-report-predicts-increases-in-insurance-premiums
http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnStossel/2009/11/25/we_pay_them_to_lie_to_us
really puts it to the aarp!
Dems stick it to seniors
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=513849
meet your NEW taxes in obamacare
http://www.newsmax.com/us/healthcare_penalty_couple/2009/11/20/288925.html
full list of tax hikes in obamacare http://www.atr.org/breaking-full-list-tax-hikesbr-senate-a4227
taxes on special needs kids http://www.lifenews.com/nat5694.html
second source
http://wabashvalleyjournalonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=237:senate-health-bill-raises-taxes-on-families-of-special-needs-children&catid=49:opinion
And if these new taxes and Medicare cuts aren't enough to make you see RED then just read what the dems have in store for our Veterans and retired Military!
TRI CARE FOR LIFE
This from a google search:
http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2009/05/tricare-for-life-is-obama-trying-to.html
This option would help reduce the costs of TFL, as well as costs for Medicare, by introducing minimum out-of pocket requirements for beneficiaries. Under this option, TFL would not cover any of the first $525 of an enrollee’s cost-sharing liabilities for calendar year 2011 and would limit coverage to 50 percent of the next $4,725 in Medicare cost sharing that the beneficiary incurred. (Because all further cost sharing would be covered by TFL, enrollees could not pay more than $2,888 in cost sharing in that year.)
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9925/12-18-HealthOptions.pdf
Bill Would Restrict Veterans’ Health Care Options (Pelosi breaks word to Rep Buyer no amendments) REPUBLICAN PRESS RELEASE ^ | November 6, 2009 | Rep Buyer abd Rep McKeon
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/hcva09/hcva110609-1.htm
Buyer and McKeon Offer Amendments to Protect Veterans and TRICARE Beneficiaries
Washington, D.C. — Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Steve Buyer and House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Howard P. “Buck” McKeon offered three amendments to the Pelosi healthcare bill that would protect America’s Veterans and military TRICARE beneficiaries. The healthcare legislation, which is expected to be voted on in the full House in the coming days limits veteran’s and service member’s health care choices and places veterans and military health care unnecessarily at risk by not clearly excluding military and veterans health care from the requirements of the bill.
“In addition to being fundamentally opposed to a sweeping government takeover of health care, I also strongly object to the bill that was unveiled today because it would limit veterans’ ability to choose a health care provider,” said Rep. Buyer. “The liberty and freedom upon which our nation is founded was paid for through the sacrifices of veterans, and I find it outrageous that the government veterans defended would presume to dictate where and how they obtain health care. This is not the type of government veterans have fought and died for.”
“America must remain vigilant in our efforts to provide the necessary support to our Veterans, military retirees, and current military personnel,” said Rep. McKeon. “The Democrat healthcare bill that will be voted on in the coming days creates unnecessary uncertainty for our Veterans and military families that their healthcare options will be unfairly limited. Our amendments make certain—in the strongest terms possible—that our nation’s heroes will continue to have options, while protecting their rights to maintain their current high-quality options if they so choose.”
Reps. Buyer and McKeon offered the following three amendments to ensure that our veterans, servicemembers, and their families are not hurt by the bill:
Buyer/McKeon Amendment #001: Would add a new subsection to provide explicitly that veterans enrolled in the VA health care and TRICARE beneficiaries may choose additional health insurance through the “Health Insurance Exchange”, along with care provided by VA or DOD.
The bill reads: “(a) ACCESS TO COVERAGE. – In accordance with this section, all individuals are eligible to obtain coverage through enrollment in an Exchange-participating health benefits plan offered through the Health Insurance Exchange unless such individuals are enrolled in another qualified health benefits plan or certain other acceptable coverage.” [page 156, line 11-16].
Under H.R. 3962, VA health care and TRICARE would be deemed "qualified" coverage. The problem with the language is that it is ambiguous and can be interpreted to disqualify individuals enrolled in VA health care or TRICARE from participating in the exchange.
This amendment was accepted at the Energy and Commerce Committee markup, but the Democratic Leadership failed to include it in H.R. 3962.
Buyer/McKeon Amendment #002: Would ensure that the authority of the Secretary of VA and Secretary of DOD could never be challenged or obstructed by any provision in the bill or by a secretary or commissioner from another part of government.
As currently written, H.R. 3962 would provide that the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of VA retain sole authority over their respective health care systems only with respect to Subtitle A, the Health Insurance Exchange. This was the original Buyer Amendment adopted in Energy and Commerce Committee. However, it was limited to “Subtitle A” because of germaneness requirements. The intent was that as the Committee bills were merged, the language would be revised to encompass the entire bill.
The section-by-section analysis on the Energy and Commerce Committee Website states that Section 311 “makes clear that nothing in this act interferes with the Department of Veterans Affairs or Department of Defense’s existing authorities.”
In fact, this description is incorrect and our amendment would provide that the bill conform to the website’s assertion.
Buyer/McKeon Amendment #003: Would amend section 342 of the bill to allow individuals enrolled in VA health care and TRICARE to be eligible for affordable tax credits. Currently, H.R. 3962 defines an “affordable credit eligible individual” as one who is not enrolled in acceptable coverage – which would exclude individuals enrolled in VA health care or TRICARE.
http://www.vawatchdog.org/09/hcva09/hcva110609-1.htm
To me this makes about as much sense as Democrats proposing cuts to welfare benefits or school lunch programs. Since when do Democrats CUT any government program?
Unlike the climategate "warm-mongerers" who reportedly manipulated data, many of the "health care nazis" haven't even read the bill!
I’ve argued here before my suspicion that the Dems have given up on seniors as a reliable part of their coalition and are perfectly happy to let them die off, to be replaced as Dem voters by illegal aliens who will be fast-tracked to citizenship and voter status.
I have also begun to think the Pubs and Rats are in collusion: ie. the elections are all a charade, a horse and pony show for our benefit. How else to explain the moronic actions of so many Republicans?
Bingo!
Plus, this crop of seniors is extremely fractious and not reliable to the Dem coalition. Amnestied and naturalized illegal aliens will make the perfect, docile, lower-maintenance replacements the party needs.
The baby boomers are what has driven a lot of policy for decades...
we all know that baby boomers are reaching retirement age... which means that death isn't far behind... I have never heard anyone talk about what happens after the majority of baby boomers die off and what date the crest of that death wave will hit.
I would assume that after the peak death year of baby boomers (whatever that is) the strain on social services will start a steady decline never talked about by anyone.
See also my comment #16.
We have become a royal pain to the Dhimmi party and are not worth the trouble or expense to keep around. The tea parties and townhalls pushed the Dems over the edge, I believe.
You know the country is in trouble when the conservatives are the ones complaining about Medicare cuts.
I have no problem with phasing out Medicare but I think it is a rotten situation when people such as myself who have been paying into Medicare since we were forced into the system at its outset (43 1/2 years, in my case) can now expect to be shafted by the same party which mandated our participation.
The fair solution for the current crop of retirees or people getting close to retirement would be to either grandfather us into Medicare and let us get what we were told we could expect, or simply buy us out with cash payments so they/we can use the funds to buy an equivalent plan or better.
Just dropping seniors like a bad habit because we are high maintenance or getting too numerous is a crappy and inhuman solution to the problem especially when the Dhimmis can find more new things to throw money at than Carter has pills.
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