TPM: House Republicans Pass Plan to Erode Medicare, Medicaid

[flpoljunkie]

House Republicans Pass Plan To Erode Medicare, Medicaid
Brian Beutler
April 15, 2011, 2:23PM

House Republicans voted Friday in favor of a vision of the future without Medicare, with a significantly eroded Medicaid, and with lower taxes on wealthy Americans. By a vote of 235-193, they passed their budget plan -- an opening bid in a broader partisan fight about spending and taxes that will dominate politics in Washington, DC for the rest of the year.

It's also political poison. The GOP plan would slowly phase out the current Medicare system and replace it by offering beneficiaries partially subsidized private insurance (ironically, much like Obamacare). It would turn Medicaid into a block-grant program, allowing states to roll back currently guaranteed benefits for the poor and disabled. And it would eliminate most of the savings achieved from cutting these entitlements lowering the tax burden on wealthy Americans.

It was almost worse. Earlier in the day, Republicans fell prey to a Democratic procedural tactic and nearly voted to replace the plan they passed with an even farther-reaching one. Republicans didn't whip any of the alternative budgets, and were caught flat-footed when Democrats voted "present" on a more conservative proposal, leading to pandemonium on the House floor.

more...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/house-republicans-pass-plan-to-erode-medicare-medicaid.php#more

[ewagner]

1. They have been officially

recorded in the Congressional Record as douch-bags in favor of killing grandma.

[flpoljunkie]

2. Hear, hear!

[randr]

3. The real story should be how the radical right is wasting tax payers money

proposing and passing legislation that hasn't a chance in hell of getting passed the Senate let alone the WH.
Someone should report on how much money they have wasted so far just this year.

[Arkana]

4. I love that it's being framed like this, too.

Read that headline: "House Republicans Pass Plan to Erode Medicare, Medicaid".

That's enough to make people sit up and take notice. "Holy shit, they're screwing us, Mavis."