In 6 months if they cannot decide what to cut, there will be mandatory cuts, including Medicare on

[still_one]

the table.

Looking at what just happened, I cannot see much hope for an agreement on what to cut in 6 months from Congress, or from the (start chamber), so won't Medicare be vulnerable?

[grasswire]

1. maybe they could start smart...

...and *cut* the cost of Medicare by allowing negotiation for lower prices of drugs.

[still_one]

4. maybe, except the talk I hear is eliminating Medicare part D entirely /nt

[pnwmom]

2. Not payments to beneficiaries. But nothing will happen to Medicare

unless the military budget is also cut. . . which the conservatives oppose.

[still_one]

5. If provider don't get paid, they will NOT accept Medicare beneficiaries, that is reality /nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

3. Defense and across the board cuts will have a specific effect

Not only will the Joint Commission come up with the 1.2 trillion, but some good measure of it will be revenues.

And the GOP will vote for it.

[still_one]

6. There is absolutely nothing that says they are required to have revenue increases /nt

[alcibiades_mystery]

7. There are Six Dems on the Committee who will push revenue increases

If the GOP don't agree, fine, they get massive cuts to defense through the triggers, and cuts to their pet projects and home districts, across the board.

Don't think it'll happen? Fine. I do. Let's revisit this issue in six months and see who was right, shall we?

The mechanisms and structures are there, in THIS bill.

[still_one]

8. Who are those six Democrats? Who are those six republicans? How are they chosen? The "committee"

was added in to try and prevent either party from losing control to their respective left and right components

It will be interesting to see if this actually passes Congress.

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. It will be interesting indeed

I think the Committee sneaks revenues in through the back door, though we'll have to wait and see on that until December, I guess.

[still_one]

10. sure. If it passes it would prevent a minority from holding Congress hostage. However, what are

the implications of that?