Medicare and Medicaid Programs As A ‘Safety Net’ For ‘People Who Frankly Don’t Need One’

[ProfessionalLeftist]

Eric Cantor (Tealiban, VA)

"CANTOR: We are in a situation where we have a safety net in place in this country for people who frankly don’t need one. We have to focus on making sure we have a safety net for those who need it."

In reality, the Medicaid cuts will actually force states to do less with less. As the Wonk Room’s Igor Volsky points out, Ryan’s block grant idea would actually “destroy Medicaid” because the annual federal appropriation would be less than projected growth. States would thus make up the difference “by increasing spending or (more realistically) capping enrollment, cutting eligibility, limiting mandatory benefits and lowering provider reimbursements.” Numerous GOP governors are already itching to do so. And for Medicare beneficiaries, not only would low-income seniors end up paying more for the same benefits, but health insurers “will likely cherry-pick the healthiest enrollees” thereby increasing the costs for sicker individuals.

The Ryan plan does, however, provide a “safety net” for one specific demographic. Ryan’s plan will reduce the top marginal income tax rate and the corporate income tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent — a move that, as the Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo notes, shifts the tax burden down the income scale onto the middle class. Given these priorities, it appears that, for Cantor, those in need of a safety net are America’s wealthy.

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/10/cantor-sees-current-medicare-and-medicaid-programs-as-a-safety-net-for-people-who-frankly-dont-need-one/

EDIT: to fix typo

[and-justice-for-all]

1. Oh, so he knows the situation of every single person in the country...

Cantor needs to shut the fuck up. That is one big death panel cantor and his worthless party want.

[roguevalley]

10. DOn't worry. He'll pass a law and that will be that. Or so he says,

the imbecile.

[rubberducky]

2. But, what you seem to be missing is we have the most powerful military on earth.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

3. "...like the insanely wealthy," he added.

:eyes:

[DBoon]

4. translation: "The poor need to die"

nt

[Enthusiast]

5. And die quickly.

That is the truth.

[InkAddict]

8. Well, why the H would the poor/ill/dying want to LIVE like that?

Ashes, ashes, the rich WILL fall down...seems to me the plague was not so very particular about socio-economic status. Fear certainly will be a powerful motivator when it comes creeping into their gated palaces, and I plan to give them exactly what they want as Fate choses. It's the only way to raise THEIR fear level because they've collected a thousand lifetimes of
"protection" money, not so much knowledge of how to live when EVERYTHING'S screwed up and broken.

[cascadiance]

6. So why was Alan Grayson criticized so much for telling the TRUTH about these F'ERS!!!

[ProfessionalLeftist]

9. Who owns the media?

The corprats. Big, rich, non-taxpaying corprats. Think about it.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cleita]

11. Well, I'm a person who needs it. My husband was

a person who needed it and my mother and father were people who needed it. Now we also were people who paid into it when we were in our productive years, so please what is wrong with these people? What will it take? Some eighty year old with cancer setting himself on fire on the steps of the Capitol in DC to get them to understand what horror they will be doing if Ryan's plan has a chance of changing even a small portion of Medicare as it is today?

[ProfessionalLeftist]

12. My mom does too and so will I! n/t

[MadHound]

13. More demonizing the poor and needy,

Making it easier to transfer that wealth up the socioeconomic ladder to those who truly don't need more, but desperately want it all anyway.

Far too many people in positions of power have taken Gordon Gecko's admonition to heart, "Greed is good."