Barack Obama to propose health care cuts

[Skip_In_Boulder]

This guy is such a sellout. People need to come to the party and realize that the government no longer works for the people. We are on our own.

Barack Obama will this week propose cuts in health care provision for the elderly and the poor as he seeks to reach agreement with Republicans on bringing America's record levels of debt under control.

Aides said that in a major speech on Wednesday the US president will lay out plans that will include reform of Medicare and Medicaid, the major subsidised health care schemes that are among the main causes of the country's $14.25 trillion (£8.7 trillion) national debt.

"The president will be laying out his approach to long-term deficit reduction," said David Plouffe, a senior adviser at the White House, adding that the president would call on both sides to compromise.

"If we are going to make progress the parties are going to have to come together to find common ground," he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/8441448/Barack-Obama-to-propose-health-care-cuts.html?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4da211bc2a8ac8af,0

[patrice]

1. No "reform" for you? - so you are assuming that there is no fraud, waste, & abuse in Medicare

[patrice]

5. P.S. I'm here to tell you that there is and I could pretty much document some of it chapter&verse.nt

[WinkyDink]

13. Please do. But first, tackle the Defense Dept.

[pnwmom]

17. Why not both at once? n/t

[pnwmom]

16. I remember telling a doctor that I thought there was a mistake

in the hospital billing -- because the drug charges (for the same drug) were all over the map -- and his response was "what difference does it make? Medicare'll pay for it."

[Skip_In_Boulder]

18. Yeah, that's the problem

Has nothing to do with our Treasury being given away to the corporate fascist regime in America

By the way, I use to work in Medicare\Medicaid.

[DeSwiss]

"There are none so blind than those who cannot see."

- What is so exasperating about all this is, if this man were a Republican (and I use that term advisedly) we would never hear the end of the litany against his actions. But because he has a "D" behind his name, so many are prepared to turn a blind eye to the truth.

K&R

[patrice]

59. The same can logically be said for your position too, especially since you're talking about the

ability to see, rather than the willingness to see.

.....................................

Perception IS everything.

[walerosco]

70. I think you are the blind one

If you think theres nothing to cut in healthcare. Btw this is the same attitude republicans have with anything defense. Lets reform the system, god knows we could safe this country some money from these programs.

[FiveGoodMen]

85. 40 posts -- puke political leanings -- can't spell 'save'

Hmmm...

[ProSense]

2. Evidently

the RW media are going to spin this until the speech.

Obama to deliver speech on deficit reduction this week

<...>

Obama will address cuts to defense and domestic spending, as well as what to do with the growing entitlement programs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, Plouffe said. He will talk about "dollar amounts" over "a period of years."

<...>

Plouffe said on ABC's This Week With Christiane Amanpour that Obama does not believe Social Security to be "a significant driver in our deficit in the short term." But he added, "if there's a way to strengthen Social Security that doesn't hurt retirees and beneficiaries in the short term, and doesn't slash benefits in the long term, he's willing to work with Congress on this."

As part of deficit reduction, Obama will continue to fight for the expiration of George W. Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers, Plouffe said. Obama and congressional Republicans agreed to a two-year extension of those tax cuts in December in order to prevent expiration of all the Bush tax cuts for all taxpayers.

In his speech, Obama will say that "people like him .., who've been very fortunate in life, have the ability to pay a little bit more," Plouffe said on NBC's Meet The Press.

<...>

[PurityOfEssence]

73. He giveth and he taketh away; of COURSE his name is still blessed

History will not be kind.

[Mojorabbit]

77. It is those same weasel words

"if there's a way to strengthen Social Security that doesn't hurt retirees and beneficiaries in the short term,(my guess..those presently collecting will be exempt) and doesn't slash benefits in the long term, (up the age, etc)he's willing to work with Congress on this."

The people in DC will eventually have people working till they are 80 before they can collect their first check.

DC bailed out the bankers and wall street has made their money back and now they both are back looking for what little is left with their hands out.
Can you imagine being ill and elderly and trying to find work out there right now?
The people in DC have no clue how regular citizens live. God forbid they should have a few years to rest before they die.

[eridani]

80. IF there is a way to strengthen Social Security?

Raise the fucking FICA cap. Jeesus--what in the hell is the MATTER with him?

[atreides1]

3. Obama keep's this up...

...and he'll have a place in history right next to Neville Chamberlain!!!!

[pnwmom]

32. The article also says Obama is likely to propose increasing taxes on the rich

and cutting military expenditures. The OP left that part out.

[Skittles]

42. WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PULL YOUR HEAD OUT!!!!!!!!

[pnwmom]

4. We need to reduce health care costs. It all depends on how it's done.

Reducing bureaucratic costs and profit margins, and unnecessary "defensive medicine" tests won't hurt the poor and the elderly. I'm going to wait and see what Obama proposes.

For example, I read recently that children are having many more MRI's than in the past, "just in case." Multiple MRI's during childhood are not only costly, they pose a risk to the children. Another issue is the amount of unnecessary costs at the end of life. Dying in a hospital is much more expensive than dying at home, with support; but too many people die in a hospital simply because of insurance issues.

[patrice]

8. Right on! pnwmom!

:hi:

[eridani]

81. The way to reduce costs is to do what fucking CIVILIZED countries all over the world do

Have universal health care and government regulation of costs.

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. "Common ground" is not knuckling under to the GOP

...but you'd never know it lately.

[Terra Alta]

7. Instead of cutting programs for the poor, why not

1. Raise taxes on the richest 1%
2. Bring our troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq

Doing those two things would go a long way towards reducing our national debt, and in fact, might erase it. But, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting on them to happen.

[Amonester]

15. And don't forget: legalize cannabis AND tax it to the max.

Tons of new tax-dough and CUTS to the stupid, un-winnable 'WAR ON DRUGS' money pit.

[Terra Alta]

20. the "War on Drugs" cost us $15 billion last year.

and has already cost us over $4 billion this year.

But I don't expect that to be ending anytime soon, either. :(

[patrice]

24. Reform will result in the money bein spent more efficiently on the poor. Medicare

money is used for favorite vendor and favorite staffing agency deals. Lots of money is used to add "value" that has no positive effect upon those in our "care" and government money at least indirectly makes some fat salaries possible, for people who either do not contribute to care - or - actually actively SUBTRACT from care.

[mazzarro]

50. Yeah - just like Health Care reform (HCR)

which turned out to be more corporate friendly than health care friendly. In fact I think HCR should mean Help Corporations Reap-us-off.

[patrice]

60. Something may be more red than blue, but that does not mean that it is not blue at all. It's

a process. The ACA did initiate something that had not previously existed, the possibility of universal health care for Americans, not in the particular style/color that I had in mind, yes, but the possibilities on this issue are different now and if they aren't, you'd better get in touch with Senator Bernie Sanders and correct him, soon!

[JoeyT]

76. Just like welfare reform.

Man, that was awesome how much waste that got rid of and how much it helped the poor.
Eh? What? It completely screwed the system up and left it an underfunded mess? Well never mind then.

Just because there is waste doesn't mean waste is what's going to be cut or that anyone has any interest in cutting waste. From what we've seen of "reforms to cut waste" in the past, waste is usually the last thing to be gotten rid of.

[brandywine]

9. Is he trying to out republican, the republicans?

Or is this just Multi-Dimensional Chess?

[patrice]

10. k, so we'll put you down as against REFORM of a 40-yr-old system too.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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

[SidDithers]

40. Where have we heard that before?...

:rofl:

Sid

[patrice]

58. dammit! Sometimes I purposely do not read replies to some of my posts, but I wanted to see that one!

[Mojorabbit]

78. It seems you have a bone to pick with

the health care people?

[ProSense]

11. Bullshit!

Bringing down the cost of health care is not cutting health care.

Krugman: "Mr. Obama...has done more to rein in long-run deficits than any previous president."

There Is Still No Such Thing As Socialsecuritymedicareandmedicaid

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

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

[Mojorabbit]

79. Very nice charts. nt

[pnwmom]

23. Democrats should support limitless health care cost increases?

And unnecessary or ineffective medical procedures? Or drug costs higher than drugs sold to Canada? There are many ways to significantly cut healthcare costs that wouldn't hurt consumers. And sparing them from unnecessary medical procedures will actually help them.

[brandywine]

25. Health care cuts = less money for those who need it to pay for their care.

That won't make prices come down.

If they wanted that, we should have enacted single payer, like all other industrialized countries, who pay 1/2 what we do.

[patrice]

27. Please state your expertise on this issue.

[pnwmom]

28. Not true. There are many ways to cut costs without hurting patients.n/t

[patrice]

30. HUGE amounts of money pay for things that have nothing to do with care & in some cases even

support practices such as "Risk Management" which can actively SUBTRACT from care.

People are hired by state departments on aging to tell administrators how to cheat on Medicare surveys.

[patrice]

35. Know any nurses personally? Ask them what happens to the nurses who don't keep costs down. nt

[patrice]

45. Do you know how much those who provide the most of the direct care, CNAs&CMAs, are paid?

Speaking of the poor . . .

[LooseWilly]

83. Yes... on both counts

out Republicaning Republicans is a classic Multi-Dimensional Chess Gambit... one which depends upon a stable wall of pawns who will believe that Republican Policy is Democratic Policy if it is put into effect by a Democrat... while at the same time being able to convince Republican pawns that Republican Policy is Democratic Policy if it's enacted by a Democrat.

Of course, the real lynchpin of the successful use of this particular gambit is the gamble that Republican Pawns are smart enough to judge politicians based upon policy, while at the same time gambling that Democratic Pawns are stupid enough to fail to judge politicians based upon policy.

This is why this is not a gambit attempted in Uni_Dimensional Chess... because in Uni-Dimensional Chess all the pawns are assumed to not be retarded, whereas in Multi-Dimensional Chess... a mechanism has been built in to simulate Retarded Pawns.

Brandywine... the president is relying upon you to behave like a "fucking retarded" pawn—you won't let him down in his... term of need? Will you?? :+

[Thunderstruck]

12. .

[Angry Dragon]

19. Let's wait and hear what he says before we rip him apart

I know he has done some very bad negotiations in the past but I will sit back and hear him out

[Skip_In_Boulder]

21. When he extended the Bush tax cuts

I heard enough then.

[pnwmom]

29. The article at the OP says he's likely to propose ending the tax cuts.

And cutting military spending.

Maybe you should have read the article you linked to.

[Angry Dragon]

49. I feel the worst part of that package was when he

threw in the 2% reduction for SS...........

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

22. I hope the next Democrat President elected doesn't turn out to be another Bluedog!

:mad:

[pnwmom]

26. Same article says he's likely to propose raising taxes on the rich

and cutting military spending. For some reason you left that out.

"The Republicans have already taken the lead on the issue, with Representative Paul Ryan, the chairman of the House budget committee, releasing a 2012 budget plan that included major cuts to Medicare, which provides for the retired, and Medicaid, which offers help for the poor.

"Mr Obama's ideas will be nothing like as radical, said Mr Plouffe, and he is likely to call for the restoration of tax rises for the rich and further cuts in defence expenditure."

[katnapped]

33. LOL yeah right

No way he's going to hurt his base.

Bend over, folks!

[pnwmom]

34. Why should we believe one part of the article and not another?

[patrice]

37. Excellent question! I HOPE we get an answer, don't you?! nt

[Skittles]

41. oh I dunno

because of his TRACK RECORD? WAKE THE FUCK UP.

[patrice]

48. So, because something has not happened is absolute logical proof that it will not happen.

[mazzarro]

52. Can you be anymore naive?

He has left a track record that is undeniable! He is not going to be changing at all - not now and not in the future! He has decided that he is a DLC'er/DINO and nothing else!

[patrice]

56. And you are claiming to have all of the quintiessential information necessary to making that predict

ion.

Which is more possible: Obama changing - or - You knowing absolutely everything about everything, ALL about EVERY issue, in all of its finest detail that would be needed to predict the future?

[Skittles]

61. forget it, it's like arguing with a table leg

fucking hopeless

[Raine]

68. Yeah really

some people apparently sleep better at night living in their own reality, they can't handle the truth.
There is "none so blind as though who will not see".

[Raine]

54. oh geesh

:spray: too funny and what a defense! :rofl: :wow: :rofl:

[patrice]

57. Respond to the question: Because something has not happend that absolutely logically means that it

will not happen?

If you can't answer, you yield the point.

[Raine]

65. NO, I will NOT yield the point

since this is a proposal and past history shows what has HAS happened and what hasn't. We all have to wait and see who has to eat their words.

[Skittles]

39. LOLOLOL

riiiiiiiiiiiiight :rofl:

[Harmony Blue]

64. That is a good point to bring up

but I have to be honest my optimism is hanging by a thread.

[treestar]

66. Yeah, why isn't this given equal play?

Because some are hung up on being negative, that's why.

[sad sally]

71. The key word is PROPOSE, which isn't the same as making it happen.

If the President can say "I PROPOSED raising taxes on those making over $250,000, but those intelligent smart Republicans just wouldn't go along with my PROPOSAL, and well, as for military spending, with three armed conflicts (wars) going, America can't short the troops, so my PROPOSALS aren't likely to happen at this time."

[kentuck]

31. That was easy..

since Cantor already proposed it on FOX this morning.

[patrice]

36. They all know about it because it's been in the works for a very long time. This is one

of the reasons Republicans have fought Obama so dirty; let's guess where the majority of campaign contributions from the biggest benefactors of Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse go.

[patrice]

38. The ensuing battle will be over the differences in the exact details of "reform" vs reform. nt

[katnapped]

44. Ah yes, just like the meaning of "is" n/t

[patrice]

46. Do you deny that the word "is" has a definition that is different from the word "was"?

Are you saying the differences in the definitions of things don't matter?

BBBbbwwwaaaaa! HHhaa! Hha! Haaaa. . .!!

[madokie]

43. isn't the telegraph a murdock rag

if so I don't believe a word of this

[TransitJohn]

47. Chess Move® n/t

n/t

[ReturnoftheDjedi]

51. will you guys ever quit with this same line of bullshit?? Obama's not cutting SS or Medicare.

[katnapped]

55. Until he does it

And you apologists come back with the tired "Oh well, nothing we could've done different against teh big bad Republicans...be glad you got what you had...time to move on folks!"

[Warren DeMontague]

53. Well, it's about time.

Oh, wait, when you said "health care", I thought you meant "defense".

[steelmania75]

62. If he's serious about debt reduction, cut the military budget, if the military isn't on the table,

then he's not serious.

[eyesroll]

69. The article in the OP says the military's on the table.

"Mr Obama's ideas will be nothing like as radical, said Mr Plouffe, and he is likely to call for the restoration of tax rises for the rich and further cuts in defence expenditure."

[iris27]

67. So when are we ending oil company subsidies and closing corporate tax loopholes?

I am getting really sick and fucking tired of giving more and more to the wealthiest while poor, working class, and middle class Americans sacrifice.

[jmowreader]

72. Oh boy, not this again

"Reaching agreement with Republicans" obviously means "don't mention tax increases or defense spending cuts."

[Shiver]

74. As others have mentioned upthread,

If you actually read the article, you would see that it actually DOES mention both of those as being a part of the plan.

[upi402]

75. Democratic negotiation strategy 101

What do you want? Anything you want, just ask...
Not enough now? Ok, we can work with that!

:hurts: :argh: :wtf: :grr: :nuke:

Ah well, dying in cold agony is the adult thing, the resonable thing to do for the corporate whores.

[Bluebear]

82. "Reform of Medicare and Medicaid" - GOPlicious. nt

[disillusioned73]

84. Who is this comment atrributed to???

"the major subsidised health care schemes"

schemes, really??

[JoePhilly]

86. wait ... "Aides" called medicare a "subsidised health care scheme"??

The entire article is written with a right wing slant.