Medicare and the Republican Ticket

Thanks for this post. I'm disgusted by the lies the Republicans spew. My husband refused to watch Romney last night. I find the whole thing kind of fascinating, in a sick way, how so many people can be willingly misled and rush to the slaughter, so to speak. Vouchers would never work for the elderly. When my parents were old, they were unable to make decisions of this kind. Medicare would change, you are so right. I am grateful to have reached the age for Medicare, rather than be obliged to work hard to be able to pay $1200/month for Blue Cross Blue Shield as a self-employed innkeeper the way I did over the past few years. Love that cartoon. Thanks for sharing!

This is not the time or place to comment about 'that convention' . . . but:

Watching the faces of those in the audience, there were some who sat stoic looking upward in awe at the new god.

Others whose faces were filled a look that reminds me of "what's in this for me?".

All had that look that they cared no further than their own selfishness. Yep! It all smelled of patronage.

Young people cannot imagine or visualize themselves being old, sick and vulnerable. However, unless they have the misfortune of dying young, this fate will eventually come to them, too. We (that's you and me) are responsible for advocating for those "future" old people who will need Medicare just as much, maybe more, than we do today.

Exactly.

Have any of you applied for health care under Medicare lately? Are you aware that it is getting harder and harder to find good doctors who will even take Medicare? So, what's left for the elderly are incompetent, sleazy doctors who will take the now, new pawltry Medicare reimbursement payments. Were you aware of that?
As soon as you turn 65 NO medical insurance company will insure you. So, you are forced to go on Medicare and subject yourself to inferior health care. Is this what you want for yourself, your parents, now and in the future? My brother and I are on Medicare BUT, we have money in the bank. So, we can pay any doctor we want for full, excellent health care AND we do! We fly to NYC every year for our annuals AND any operations we may need. We wouldn't dare think of using a Medicare doctor. Have you ever walked through a Medicare ward and seen the condition of many of these elderly people?
I would LOVE to have a voucher now and pay for my own health care rather than subject myself to the inhumane Medicare system. What is wrong with all of you? The $712billion that Obama has pulled out of Medicare by forcing the doctors to take even LESS on their reimbursements will have what kind of result? More doctors who will refuse Medicare patients. Duh?
Also, Medicare now decides at what age you can get a hip or knee replacement, heart bypass, etc. etc. It's a forced early death unless you have the money to pay for it on your own. Like the rich, duh?
Young people today of course would want a voucher system rather than be subjugated to what a government dictates.

Grow up people! And smell your own early coffins.

How do you know if a Republican is lying? His/her lips are moving.

Old joke, I know. I can recall a time when the GOP actually had honor and weren't so concerned with greed but that has gone the way of the dinosaur. And it's why I'm practically living at Obama HQ and am urging everyone I know to do the same.

I can't afford to have anyone messing with my Social Security and Medicare.

Hank-

I don't know what part of this planet you live on . . I don't deny that where you live you can only receive crappy medicare healthcare.

In north Georgia and NE Florida I am receiving medicare (because that's where my company put me at retiement!). Honestly, it's the best and cheapest healthcare I have ever received in my lifetime. I have been through CIGNA and an expensive Aetna and have it eeven better today. I've even used medicare to use MAYO clinic - and little or no extra cost.

Hank, I think you are probably trying to pull the wool over your elderly parents eyes . . IMHO of course.

In other words, "Don't confuse me with the facts ... my mind's made up!"

Sorry Hank, but Fox has misled you again. The lie that Obama has pulled $716 billion out of Medicare has been proven to be false by every Fact Checker and has gotten 4 "Pinocchios" from one (that's reserved for the biggest lie) and 3 "Pants on Fire" from the others. It simply is not true. The $716 is actually savings in Medicare. Nothing will be taken away from the beneficiaries.

Nice that you are so wealthy. I hope you never have a medical condition that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and that, if you do, you have enough money to pony up the amount that your voucher won't cover. Or that your voucher has been used up.

This is also the first step in eliminating Medicare completely. If Romney and Ryan privatize Medicare health care will become so expensive (proven by actuaries) that the voucher plan will fail and then the Republicans will have achieved their long held dream of eliminating Medicare altogether.

Your claim about Doctors is equally false. That is simply a scare tactic put out by the Health Insurance companies who are the ones behind the Ryan plan. The bloated insurance companies would love nothing better than to go back to denying coverage for the very sick and denying payments for needed procedures (among other things).

I really think it might behoove you to read a fact sheet on Medicare plans before you make uninformed statements.

Dear Hank: Please take no offense to this post as none is intended. Because you have the luxury of spending thousands of your own dollars on private health care it's obvious you are not the authority to rate the care of those who must take advantage of their only alternative - Medicare.

I'm glad you don't utilize Medicare; in fact I'm in favor of the option of instituting a means test for folks like you and your brother who obviously don't need taxpayer help in paying the bills from your Park Avenue physicians. This small change would go a long way in making the program even more affordable for the rest of us who must depend on it for our very lives.

Further, I for one have never seen a "Medicare Ward", or indeed even heard of one. This bit of biased rhetoric along with your other charged language shows just how uninformed and easily manipulated seemingly rational people in our nation have become. The question is not whether we should wake up and smell our own coffins, but rather ask how the disinformation shown in your missive could have reached this point without being questioned and debunked long before today. Shame on the rest of us for not calling out folks like you with facts and reason whenever "points" like yours are brought up.

"...BUT, we have money in the bank." so Hank, you could afford to cover the extra cost of insuring yourself, but god help you if you have some major preexisting condition, because either no insurance would touch you, or you would lose that "money in the bank" buying coverage.

People DID save for retirement, only to lose a good portion of that money in the most recent "crash". Older people were forced into retirement early, and with a lower income. We'd all like to believe its not true, but when it comes to hiring someone, nine times out of ten its NOT the old person.

We all played by the rules, believed that the programs we PAID into (not entitlements) would be there for us when we retired, and are now being made out as fools for believing.

Yes Hank, you got yours, so wrap your arms around your bank accounts and smell the arrogance.

Yellowstone, Darlene, Jim Newman, Bonnie Ringer and others:

Thank you so much for taking on Hank. You guys - all TGB readers - are just terrific, not to mention how smart and informed you are about these things.

I was going to say much the same to Hank. I actually don't believe any of his post. Too many "talking points." Too many errors.

Much of the time when doctors refuse Medicare patients, it's those with Medicare Advantage plans who are refused. I always wonder, with 10,000 people a day becoming eligible for Medicare (according to AARP), where those doctors will get their patients.

Once again, we’re reminded how dangerous the truly uninformed, uncaring for the rest of us can be.

Thanks for the reminder, Hank….

Like Hank, I personally prefer to have choices and would love to get a voucher. At work today, I have choices between 4 plans, some with higher premiums, co-pays than others; some with more alternative medicine services than others. When I am 65, I would love to continue to options.

Hank,

your vision of "sleazy" Medicare doctors is an insult to the wonderful young professional female physician who takes care of me and other elders who rely on her and their Medicare coverage to sustain their health. Her offices are immaculate, including the landscaping outside and her staff are some of the most courteous I have ever encountered.

Your despicable comments about doctors who accept Medicare payments is one more facet of your views that seriously dimninsih any credibiltiy you have. I half way suspect you, like many others, are a plant in blogs like this to generate mistrust and suspicion, with the sole intent of swaying poorly informed individuals to the for-profit industries in health care.

Fortunately, as many of the comments here have indicated, this TGB constituency is beyond your small-minded reasoning and capable of putting you in your proper place.

I wish I had read this before I commented, but I strongly urge Hank to copy and paste the following URL in his browser and read Paul Krugmann's piece on the subject of vouchers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/opinion/Krugman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120831

Hank might learn the truth based on facts and not ideology.

KJ . . .I'm well over 65 and have Medicare and also a plan that offers me options that I can change annually. Medicare and the plan work nicely together. I can't think of a single reason why vouchers would be better.

Hank has been over on my blog, too. What a pest.
Anyway, I am so glad I have Kaiser. My mother in law, sister and brother in law have all gotten good care from Kaiser. Not boutique care, by any means, but very acceptable managed care.
The whole problem for "Hank," of course, is those sleazy "medicare wards." "Hank" wants to see nice looking, healthy people when s/he goes to the Dr and wants to feel special: not just another sick person who needs help.
For my part, I've banned "Hank," on the grounds that s/he is a troll and has stooped very low with personal insults.
Don't waste time engaging with this loser.

I find it interesting that "Hank" has not responded. Uninformed and intimidated?

I wonder how either candidate's plan will combat the refusal of many doctors to add new Medicare patients to their practices? Major cities are experiencing a loss of doctors because many are retiring in the next ten years, at the same time reduced payouts from Medicare limit future physician income.

This empowers physician's and turns healthcare economics upside down for seniors told to find a new doctor at age 65+. How do the candidate's proposals hope to manage that hurdle so everyone is gets the care they might need in a more competitive environment?

Some doctors refuse Medicare patients simply because they can only accommodate so many patients on their caseload to provide appropriate services. Doctors do age just like the rest of us and desire to retire and/or work only part time. My now single doctor neighbor has chosen to continue working and does so in L.A.'s slum areas and hospitals, but not all older doctors can do so.

A shortage of doctors has been known for many years to be an increasing issue as is true for other health care providers, including rehab therapists. Adaptations, accommodations have been and are necessarily being made by utilizing Physician Assistants, Nurse Practioners, Therapy Assistants and Aides -- various medical personnel working with doctors to meet the burgeoning population's needs. Use of Internet technology to reach patients is being increasingly effectively implemented. A voucher system will not alter our basic health care state or needs and may well exacerbate problems.

I think it would be interesting to visit my local Demo. and Rep. Party Campaign headquarters and leave them each a copy of this particular TGB post -- then stick around to see how each react to the facts presented here.

In fact, printed distribution to anyone interested and willing to consider such information might be a good way to reach many who don't read TGB, use computers, or have limited factual reading materials about Medicare, Soc. Sec. issues at stake that have been discussed here previously and likely will be again in the weeks ahead.