Posted on 10/23/2015 2:14:22 PM PDT by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
Republicans are consistently attacked whenever they mention reforms to entrenched entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. But presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson is going boldly where no Republican has gone before: declaring he would abolish Medicare completely. As Politico reports, “Carson … would eliminate the program that provides health care to 49 million senior citizens, as well as Medicaid, and replace it with a system of cradle-to-grave savings accounts which would be funded with $2,000 a year in government contributions.
When pressed on his position in May by CNBC’s John Harwood, Carson said Americans would support the elimination of Medicare when presented with the facts of his plan. “When people are able to see how much more freedom they will have, and how much more flexibility they will have, and how much more choice they would have, I think it’s going to be a no-brainer,” he said. Not surprisingly, Politico says “GOP strategists and conservative health care wonks scratching their heads. “This isn’t a borderline issue. The politics of this are horrific,” said Doug Holtz-Eakin, head of the American Action Forum and health care adviser to Sen. John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign.”
Do we really care what an advisor on McCain’s failed 2008 campaign says? Maybe the fact that Ben Carson is actually a medical professional means he might have an understanding about how the industry works? And haven’t these establishment types noticed Ben Carson doesn’t really care about politics? Which is why perhaps he’s leading the GOP field in Iowa according to the latest Quinnipiac poll?
(Excerpt) Read more at allenbwest.com ...
Would the idea have a snowball’s chance if Carson actually was elected?
The man has some edgy ideas, in regard to 2nd Amendment, etc. But beyond that, he strikes me as someone who’d be easy for the democRATS to roll.
Leni/MinuteGal
“People who have paid into it all their life... it and Social Security.... its not gonna be easy to take it from them.”
Uh, you mean people like me who’ve had their paycheck robbed by the government all our lives and now th,at I’m a couple of years from full retirement and in poor health because I nearly worked myself to death you want to rob me again?
This nation is doomed. It will suffer economic and political collapse and dissolve into violence, rioting, internecine warfare to make the collapse of Yugoslavia look peaceful. It will do so within my lifetime.
And there’s not a damned thing I can do to prevent it.
You have just convinced me of that.
Medicare is all seniors have left to get affordable health insurance.
And screw the 50 million older Americans who paid into it all their lives? Any plan has to take care of current retirees and those about to retire, while providing better options for younger people. Otherwise just default on the debt. I see no reason why foreign bondholders who voluntarily loaned money to the government should get priority over Americans whose money was taken from their paychecks involuntarily.
So apparently we’ve entered the “big talk, ain’t ever gonna happen” section of the campaign. With Trump outlawing “happy holidays” yesterday and Carson killing medicare today. It’s an entertaining phase I guess.
I dislike that SS and Medicare are considered entitlements when I have been paying for them all of my adult life. Now, Medicaid and SNAP and so on, yes, I would like there to be something done about them; they are entitlements.
See my post number 3.
“The prices listed on EOB’s are shams. Don’t believe them for a second. “
I haven’t been to the doctor in years. Finally, I had to go. Before making the appointment the woman asked me three times if I had insurance. I was thinking they would tell me no. But when I finally spoke to a nurse she said, “be sure to tell them at the desk that you want the uninsured discount.” Thirty percent off. Damn! I thought it was against the law to charge people less than you charge the government. Or, perhaps they don’t service any government insured people. I don’t know.
Incidentally, I paid as they required, before the service. Then I received a bill in the mail at the full price. I suspect they bill automatically.
Bad idea.
The Boomers get feisty when you start talking about taking away their welfare.
Nope... I agree with you. If they want to shrink the welfare state.... they need to start somewhere else. I can give them a long list of savings without even touching social security or medicare. I'd say go work on the welfare list a while and then get back with us.
WOOHOO GO TRUMP!!!!
Leni/MinuteGal you have a ball and take pictures!!!
So nice of you to Ping the news of Trump rally on C-Span2.
7 pm Eastern should be 4 pm my time...I will be watching!
My "exit strategy" would hurt the Propaganda Ministry.
“means tested out of Social Security” is simply ANOTHER socialist redistribution euphemism. You know, sorry, we robbed your paycheck your whole life and promised you it was for a good cause, namely, we were just saving it for you in your SS “account”, but now we’ve changed our minds and we’re gonna rob you again, but this time you get NOTHING back, NOTHING YOU HEAR!
Yep... problem is they are not going to take money away from the poor, downtrodden but healthy people who either can’t or are too stupid, or too stoned, or to whatever to work and be responsible.
We’ve disagreed about so VERY much over the years. Good to see we can come together about Trump.
Oh, I understand your concerns, and there would be a necessary “shake out” that would undoubtedly hurt a few people before the market found it’s equilibrium if the current systems were discontinued, or even phased out.
But the real harm that people find with our current increasingly socialized system is just as real. It’s unsustainable, and we are headed toward perdition with it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.