Steny Hoyer says cuts to Medicare benefits must be on the table -- Tell Him No!

[Report1212]

Link to make a call to Hoyer's office is in the link.

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During his weekly address yesterday, House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told the press that major cuts to Medicare benefits must be on the table:

Hoyer said GOP proposals to raise the Medicare eligibility age, make wealthier seniors pay higher Medicare rates and limit the cost-of-living increases for some federal programs are legitimate ones, even as he warned he might not support them.

“They clearly are on the table,” Hoyer said of the Medicare changes during his weekly press briefing in the Capitol. “They were on the table in the Boehner-Obama talks. They’ve been on the table for some period of time. That does not mean that I’d be prepared to adopt them now, but they’re clearly, I think, on the table.”
Seniors on Medicare did not cause our deficit — Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, two wars, and Wall Street’s recession did. They should not be asked to pay through their hard-earned benefits.


Read more (and take action): http://boldprogressives.org/top-democrat-steny-hoyer-says-cuts-to-medicare-benefits-must-be-on-the-table/

[Ganja Ninja]

1. Fine! Change the Medicare part D law to allow the government to negotiate drug prices.

Deal done.

[Report1212]

2. Tell him that when you call! nt

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

7. No. Tell him and all congresscriters that all his free healthcare is gone,

along with pension for life, and he now has to use the same medicare or buy insurance that the rest of America relies on.


I'm tired of this crap where these guys get free benefits for life by doing a shitty job and sticking us with the bill.

[Morganfleeman]

18. Exactly

This would go a long way to controlling costs. High drug prices in the U.S. basically subsidize drug prices across the world where national health care programs negotiate with drug manufacturers to keep prices lower.

[leveymg]

3. "Major cuts must be on the table." Steny should be put on the table.

With leadership like this, who needs the GOP?

[BuelahWitch]

17. Or at least his pension and health plan n/t

[HereSince1628]

4. I'm good with medicare changes that cut/return consumer costs for meds, MRIs, CTs

and advanced genetic testing to levels comparable for other developed western European nations and Canada.

Only after those are in place, would I actually sit still long enough to listen to proposals for cuts that resulted in reduced care.

[msongs]

5. how do these republicans get elected to dems leadership positions? nt

[trueblue2007]

6. the staff person was STUPID!!

I FEEL IT DOES NO GOOD TO CALL

the staff person acted as though he could not care less

[Report1212]

9. What did he say? nt

[PD Turk]

8. With "friends" like this

Who needs enemies?

[hootinholler]

10. Sensationalist headline

Which states they must be on the table. Hoyer said they clearly are on the table and he doesn't support changing them. A subtle difference.

[Report1212]

11. He said he doesnt neccessarilly support them

But that they should be on the table. Many Democrats like alan grayson and tammy baldwin have said these ideas should not be on the table. The "Table" is a very important idea in politics.

[hootinholler]

13. No, he didn't say they should be on the table

He said they are on the table.

Not as positive as saying they shouldn't be on the table, but clearly he did not say they *must* be on the table, nor did he say they *should* be on the table.

[daa]

12. Suicide -I did not vote for this. Nt

[BuelahWitch]

16. Me either

[JasonGWB]

14. I understand this might be political posturing ...

but that is no reason not to call his office and explain how we feel about possible cuts to Medicare. 79% of the the population does not want Medicare, Social Security or Medicaid to be part of any deal. If any politician, no matter how vague, speak of including these programs in fiscal CURB talks we need to make sure their phones are very busy.

[woo me with science]

15. Democrats are working against us, just like Republicans are.

Ignoring it and pretending it isn't happening doesn't make it go away.

We have a problem.

[daa]

19. I can see it for 2014 already --

We cut is less than repugs would -- send money.

[woo me with science]

20. +1