Senate Dems seek expansion of Medicare, Medicaid (in exchange will drop public option)

AP on Yahoo ^ | 12/7/09 | David Espo - ap

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON – Senate Democratic liberals are seeking expansion of two large federal programs, Medicare and Medicaid, in exchange for dropping a government-sold insurance option from health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama, several lawmakers said Monday.

Under the potential trade-off with party moderates, near-retirees beginning at age 55 or 60 who lack affordable insurance would be permitted to purchase coverage under Medicare, which generally provides medical care beginning at 65. Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor, would be open to all comers under 300 percent of poverty, or slightly over $66,000 for a family of four.

Senators and aides said the changes have been discussed extensively in recent days as a small group of moderate and liberal Democrats search for a middle ground to assure passage of the bill atop Obama's domestic agenda.

[FlingWingFlyer]

My state (Arizona) cannot afford this Commie ‘RAT fiasco. Like the U.S. government, my state is broke.

[Pikachu_Dad]

smells like a public option to me...

[jveritas]

Yes that will do it. Further bankrupt two already bankrupt programs, Medicare and Medicaid. Anyway this will drive the left wing lunatic insane if they drop the public option i.e. socialized medicine for the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid. At the same time it will keep our side totally dissatisfied because of the massive government expansion. In other word it is a very bad lose-lose for the socialists.

[wac3rd]

That covers 99% of immigrants.

Now, with Amnesty, we are f’ed.

[smokingfrog]

Looks like they’re trying to buy off the baby boomers.

[concentric circles]

So Medicaid becomes the wedge and they enlarge it more and more every year meanwhile placing greater and greater demands on private insurers.

[dawn53]

Doesn’t this same bill make cuts to Medicare? So how do you make cuts and yet expand the program at the same time?

As far as Medicaid...most doctors won’t accept Medicaid.

[NormsRevenge]

Yes that will do it.

—

I’m gonna quote ya on that. ;-)

The end effect is always the same, the taxpayer’s hands are forced to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for gubamint programs runamuck.

[Earthdweller]

They have already made the cuts to Medicare...essentially cutting off the potential lifespan of White women....those who have the unfair “political advantage” of generally living longer. Why bother to try to give us more of your fruit when the fruit is bitter? Blood sucking Jackels would rather kill us off to keep their precious big government kingdom. They have already put us to work for decades, taken our money and now they want to bribe us with it to control our lives. This kind of heinous deceit is going to end badly.

[combat_boots]

“So how do you make cuts and yet expand the program at the same time?”

By force

[mylife]

Under the potential trade-off with party moderates, near-retirees beginning at age 55 or 60 who lack affordable insurance would be permitted to purchase coverage under Medicare">

Last time I looked at my paycheck, I am "Purchasing" it now!

[jveritas]

I doubt that they will be able to get 60 votes for cloture on a final vote with this crappy proposal. Also most 55-65 years people are working and have a good healthcare insurance so this proposal is politically meaningless for the socialists.

[Fu-fu2]

I agree—this is going to end badly.

[Sarah-bot]

I will see their Public option and raise them an insurance mandate. If they expand Medicare in exchange for dropping the insurance mandate, then after a majority of the Democrats get kicked out by 2012 the Medicare system could once again be revamped. Of course they will never drop the insurance mandate because the entire bill is just window dressing designed to push the insurance mandate into law. With out the mandate the law is not totalitarian and that would not be acceptable to the party of abortion.

[PubliusMM]

Medicaid for those at or below 300% of the poverty level? Medicare for 55 and over without suitable alternatives? Sounds like government run healthcare to me... Those two little tidbits should probably put well over half the country into the government run healthcare. Keep in mind, though, that “government run” means “taxpayer funded”.

This is getting scary. It’s time to take back the country.

[preamble]

No blanking way. You aren’t going to purposefully run into the iceberg
if you are the Titanic. At least that disaster was based on overconfidence
and bad management. Maybe Titanic is a good analogy!
but of course the ‘Rats would try anything at this point. they are desperate.

Medicare is going to have to have the age RAISED from 65 to at least 68
in order to remain solvent for Baby Boomers.
If it is lowered to 55 then everyone would just retire at 55 and work part time.
Maybe that’s what the ‘Rats want.

Medicaid is a millstone around the neck of states -— and different states
have different qualifications. Some states are going to get wacked.
Who wants medicaid anyways? i don’t. It’s worse than paying out of pocket.
at least i can choose a doctor.

Just give everyone a $4000 tax credit.
It just burns me that the individual (consultant) who buys health insurance
STILL gets unfair tax treatment under this bill. In fact, the premiums
for individual market are going to increase compared to current case.
unfair tax treatment.
What ever happened to portability? Now you are going to be a slave
to your employer because you won’t have any choice of going to
individual market.

[WOSG]

The Senate Dems are at it again. It’s like trying to fit a 300lb woman in a size 8 dress. They keep trying on different names and outfits for their socialized medicine, but it is still the same thing.

[CharlesWayneCT]

That’s not just public option, that’s forced single-payer government-run health care.

I can’t imagine that anybody who opposes the public option would go for this. Especially since they took all the money out of medicare to pay for their program.

[businessprofessor]

Not this again. They have been talking about Medicare at age 55 for decades. The cost is astronomic. Medicare at 65 is a runaway train. Medicare at 55 is the end of the federal budget.