If Republicans win the Presidency and the Senate and keep the House, they will implement their agenda. Their first mission is to end Medicare as we know it and stop/end Universal Healthcare -- or as they call it "Obamacare."They will surely re-introduce and pass Paul Ryan's plan to END MEDICARE As We Know It! Ryan's plan privatizes Medicare. Our elderly will NOT have a choice of the standard medicare plan. Instead, they will be provided a voucher to shop for healthcare from private healthcare companies. There are dollar limits to these vouchers and there are no requirements for these companies to accept anyone with pre-existing conditions.
It's important to understand how current Medicare works before understanding what we are asking our Seniors to give up with Ryan's plan. Counter to what many Americans believe, Medicare is N
OT free. Our seniors are required to pay a monthly Premium of about $110 a month. Plus, they pay 20% for doctor visits and a hefty deductible if they have hospital stays. (unless they are on Medicaid)So now you may be thinking, "So what's the big deal? The Seniors still have to pay some costs. Isn't what they don't pay now sort of like a voucher?"
The answer: No.
Here are the dangers of the Ryan plan.
1. Pre-Existing Conditions: Medicare accepts ALL eligible seniors, regardless of pre-existing conditions. How many seniors with pre-existing conditions will go without care?
2. Vouchers have a cap! Hospital stays are expensive. If seniors require extensive care, they pay. Worse yet, many seniors may opt not to receive care rather than having to pay for what they can't afford.
3. Doctor Fees: Today, doctor's who accept Medicare patients must bill according to Medicare guidelines. Many doctors don't like this. They want to charge whatever they want to charge. With Ryan's plan, they won't have Medicare guidelines. Seniors will be forced to go to care providers that they can afford with their meager vouchers.
4. Prescription Drugs: Today, prescription drug prices must fall within Medicare prices guidelines. Seniors will be forced to purchase what they can afford with their meager vouchers. How will they afford Brand drugs or the outrageously expensive drugs for catastrophic illnesses? Cancer drugs? Will they just stop taking them when they can no longer afford them?
Many seniors today rely primarily on their Social Security to not only pay for their Medicare co-pays, but as their only means of survival.
Here's something else you should be aware of. There are two major reasons we have so many cost overruns with Medicare:
a. the cost the government pays to private healthcare companies to administer Medicare Advantage and Medicare Billing programs.
b. the cost of FRAUD and Waste.
What President Obama is attempting to accomplish with Universal Healthcare is to reduce/eliminate the costs charged by private healthcare providers, utilize technology to reduce waste/redundancy and to monitor/reduce fraud. This will save Billions.
I just received a very negative comment from Bad Anon. He says he pays nothing for Medicare and had a recent hospital stay.
ReplyDeleteApparently he doesn't know or understand how Medicare works. The prices I've states are accurate and from the Medicare.gov website. However, here is the "exception."
If you are below the poverty level and have been approved for Medicaid, then the costs are less and based on "ability to pay."
I think this is very sad.
Bad Anon, who is a raging, negative, abusive and explosive Tea Party member is a Medicaid recipient who pays nothing for Medicare -- including hospital stays and doctor visits.
Bad Anon is a Tea Party Member who Hates our President, spews racist and derogatory remarks against our President, claiming he is a "Socialist" and condemns ALL LATINOS for being "illeegals."
Yet poor BAD ANON is on Medicaid and accepting these Socialist Payments so he doesn't have to pay any co-pays at all. He pays Nothing.
And his own candidates, Santorum, Romney and the Tea Party VOW TO END Medicare and especially Medicaid.
What is most interesting is that Bad Anon, a Medicaid recipient, lives in California. This is a state that supports the poor and champions support for Medicaid recipients. And Bad Anon supports the very Republicans that want to END the support Bad Anon receives and he doesn't even know how the whole process works OR how the Republicans he supports want to END the very programs he receives.
So Sad!
If a Republican wins in November, and they pass the laws they are advocating, BAD ANON will be the FIRST KICKED TO THE CURB.
Talk about Karma!
Maybe, if that happens, he will FINALLY Understand!
Bad Anon,
ReplyDeleteStop sending your profane comments. Over the past 2 years, since I retired, I've worked as a Consultant for the private insurance Medicare Enrollment and also for investment organizations.
So you're on a Medicare Advantage program. You obviously don't understand Medicare nor Medicare Advantage nor Prescription Drug Plans and how the entire bureaucracy works and inter relates with Medicaid.
I do.
What I have written are facts and can be viewed on
Medicare.org websites.
As far as the Ryan plan goes, trying googling it.
It's posted everywhere.
I guess the FACTS and the TRUTH hurt. You don't realize that your own side, the Republicans, and ALL of the Repub Prez candidates are planning on ripping away your Medicare AND Social Security right from under you.
If your side gets your way and they follow the Republican Agenda, when you are pushed out onto the streets without your Medicare and your Social Security, please be sure and write your letter of apology to me for trying to SAVE these programs.
Wrong! Changes to Medicare and SS will be made for those 55 and under (not current recipients) to keep it solvent. That is not ripping it out from under you or ending it. Try telling the truth for once in here rather than using every political issue as a opportunity to attack the Republican party and every conservative, white American. What is the Democrat plan to keep those things solvent? They don't have one! They are just going to let it crash and burn on its own. Is that what you want?
ReplyDeleteBob,
ReplyDeleteFirst let me say thank you for being civil. There are so many opposition commenters that insist on using profane language (which I do not allow) and merely name call. I appreciate a civil response.
Second, while I agree in past discussions, including the early discussions re: Paul Ryan's plan, that these plans do not impact anyone over 55 (as of 2010), look at what Santorum is saying. Look at what some of his fellow Prez candidates are saying. Look at what the Heritage Foundation is saying. They all are saying this impacts those on Social Security now.
Read Santorum's words from last Friday. I ask you to GOOGLE them:
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum called Friday for immediate cuts to Social Security benefits, risking the wrath of older voters and countless others who balk at changes to the entitlement program.
"We can't wait 10 years," even though "everybody wants to."
Clearly aware of the risks, Santorum argued that everyone must sacrifice now because the nation's "house is on fire" with soaring federal debt.
At that event, Santorum said: "The Democratic National Committee is going to say, 'Ah, ... he's for changing benefits now.' Yes, I am. Yes, I am."
"We need to change benefits for everybody now."
Also read what the Heritage Foudation is saying. They are talking about Means Testing. They want to cut anyone off from Social Security who makes $55,000 or more.
What they are proposing and planning on implementing is awful, not only for us Seniors now, but for Seniors in the future. What is going to happen to our American Seniors if these Republicans pass these laws? I feel sad for all of our Seniors.
and do you know what is the saddest thing? the fact that many of our seniors rely solely on social security and medicare to survive.
ReplyDeletewhen I was working for Medicare Enrollment consulting, at least 30 - 50 percent of seniors are in this category.
what will happen to our seniors?
as far as addressing medicare issues, President Obama has done so in the Universal Healthcare Act.
ReplyDelete1. closing the donut hole by 2020
2. eliminating duplicate services, redundancy and fraud via a centralized, on line database.
3. reducing the rate of outsourcing to healthcare companies
4. ensuring the standardization of doctors fees, administrative services, etc.
The plan will significantly reduce costs and eliminate overheads if allowed to exist through fruition.
as far as the cost of Social Security, as I have stated, if we merely increase the PAY IN CAP we can ensure Medicare and Social Security pay for themselves through the next century.
the other issue is "Means Testing."
ReplyDeletegoogle "Heritage Foundation Means Testing."
Read about how they want to cut Seniors off from social security and medicare IF they made over $55K a year. Isn't that at least 50% of us?
Read about what they are advocating and what they're backers are advocating we STOP.
Imagine the carnage when SO MANY are cut off from Social Security and Medicare.
It's Frightful!