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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsObama in weekly address: Republicans do indeed want to effectively end Medicare as we know it
by Susan Gardner
Florida. Political convention. Republicans. A perfect opportunity for the President of the United States to discuss .. Medicare. Bwwaaah.
Republicans in Congress have put forward a very different plan. They want to turn Medicare into a voucher program. That means that instead of being guaranteed Medicare, seniors would get a voucher to buy insurance, but it wouldnt keep up with costs. As a result, one plan would force seniors to pay an extra $6,400 a year for the same benefits they get now. And it would effectively end Medicare as we know it.
President Barack Obama laid it out firm and clear in this morning's weekly address, drawing a stark contrast between Republicans plans for health care for seniors and his own quest to preserve and protect the Medicare program, most notably in the Affordable Care Act, affectionately known as "Obamacare."
And yeah, he said the Republican plan "would effectively end Medicare as we know it." He said quite a bit of other awesome stuff too, like how we keep our promises here in America:
Its not about overheated rhetoric at election time. Its about a promise this country made to our seniors that says if you put in a lifetime of hard work, you shouldnt lose your home or your life savings just because you get sick.
And how the implicationwhich Democrats should make more often than they dothat this "entitlement" program is a hand-out is ... well, baloney. Screw that. Say it loud and say it clear:
Over the last 47 years, millions of Americans have worked for that promise. Theyve earned it.
Amen. And yeah, I very happily added the emphasis there.
And unlike those country club guys heading Tampa's way, he has a personal stake in these kinds of programs, he told listeners:
Growing up as the son of a single mother, I was raised with the help of my grandparents. I saw how important things like Medicare and Social Security were in their lives. And I saw the peace of mind it gave them.
And he finished off with a nice resounding "this is what America is all about" flourish:
Here in America, we believe in keeping our promisesespecially to our seniors who have put in a lifetime of hard work and deserve to enjoy their golden years. Thats what Medicare is all about. Thats why we need to strengthen and preserve it for future generations. And as long as I have the honor of serving as your President, thats exactly what Ill do.
To read the pretty darn satisfying transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/25/1123927/-Obama-in-weekly-address-Republicans-do-indeed-want-to-effectively-end-Medicare-as-we-know-it
burnsei sensei
(1,820 posts)Neither was the New Deal. Republicans have always hated these initiatives, and they will do anything to get us back to the Gilded Age.
The Gilded Age was their glory time.
The time the rich could hoard gold and treasure and watch the desperation of the impoverished.
The only people who gave a damn were the middle-class progressives, who started to understand that an urban nation required different policies and a different understanding of resources.
Medicare was instituted because the old cannot buy insurance on the open market.
They cannot buy it because as a risk, they are invariably hazardous. To be infirm, to be physically weakened is endemic to the condition of growing old.
Therefore, beware of any market-oriented solution to the problem of Medicare. It will mean that the elderly will be medically neglected on a MASSIVE SCALE. Just as they were before Medicare.
Take account of everything, but forget history AT YOUR PERIL.
Your amnesia is what Romney/Ryan are counting on.
ProSense
(116,464 posts)saving Medicare.