Romney/Ryan plan attacks Medicare and AARP agrees. AARP says Obama's plan is superior. (campaign, drugs)
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The fact is, Medicare is insolvent. Medicare is making Medicare end as we know it by 2024 per the government. That is right, just 12 years away from Medicare not having the money to make all of its payments. It has run a deficit since 2008 with no end to this in sight.
Now, we can keep Obama, who has actually weakened it, or we can elect an adult who has a proposal to fix it, without it effecting seniors.
Obama -- kicking the can down the road with no courage to fix it.
Romney/Ryan -- adult enough to fix it without changing it for seniors.
not changing it? Really? You must be one of the "lucky ones" that's over 55.
Every working american has paid for that benefit for his old age. Take the $$ out of somewhere else in the federal budget. Leave my medicare and social security alone!
I wonder if a class action lawsuit against the Federal Govt is in order from those that under age 55 should they be successful in implementing this tyranny?
Social Security Trust Fund is projected to run out in 2033 - at this point it will only be able to pay 74% of its benefits and that 74% will drop. SS is also projected to run annual deficits starting in 2014 for several decades as is.
Social Security Disability will run out of its trust fund money in 2016 per the CBO or 2018 per the board of trustees. At this point America's disabled can't get their full payments. The number of recipients are expected to grow.
Medicare is expected to run out of money by 2024, at this point they can only pay 87%, which will steadily shrink as the system is projected to run continuous deficits.
Now 2008 Obama said these were problems that needed to be fixed.
2012 Obama has done nothing. Not even with control of congress for 2 years.
We need an adult who will stop putting off the tough decisions.
not changing it? Really? You must be one of the "lucky ones" that's over 55.
Every working american has paid for that benefit for his old age. Take the $$ out of somewhere else in the federal budget. Leave my medicare and social security alone!
I wonder if a class action lawsuit against the Federal Govt is in order from those that under age 55 should they be successful in implementing this tyranny?
You did read where I said not for seniors?
Let's create a system that is self-funding, maybe more like FDR intended. 2008 Obama said it was a problem. 2012 Obama has yet to do anything but sure can demonize other people adult enough to address it.
Yes, I read the Trustees' reports (all of them): the immediate issue is that contributions are insufficient to projected expenditure. The essence of Ryan's proposal, if I understand it, is to solve the problem by limiting expenditure, via fixed-sum vouchers. Very well, but assuming that market competition isn't sufficient to lower medical costs, will that not constitute a loss to modestly-affluent families over several generations? My estate of a million isn't likely to last long if it has to pay for my children's medical expenses over and above whatever coverage $6,400 will buy (while also providing my heirs with the reasonably comfortable standard of living I hoped to ensure for them).
A med advantage plan in my San Antonio, Tex (my city) currently receives an average of at least $1,050/mo per member per month. that's a little over $12,000/yr!! How's $6,400 going to buy a plan that mimics orig medicare's benefits plus gym membership, eyeglasses, transportation, preventative screenings and doughnut hole rx coverage? It can't without severely cuttting the benefits plus the extra things that members enjoy. Ten years from now, costs will not be reduced that much. It is a game of musical chairs with all of the "youngsters" left without a chair to sit in. Even if they do allow ppl to join the "traditional medicare" program, it will attract many of the sickest individuals because of the lack of restrictions and the fact that more medicare/medicaid popul (a sicker popul) will flood that option. That would jack the cost of that option up significantly.
Something else to consider: if "traditional medicare" is no longer an option in the year "2022", then the popul of the "traditional medicare" class option (politically pampered group) will only get older and older and experience much more government costs because traditional medicare would no longer be "balanced out" with younger, healthier people (those turning 65 or 67). With such an overwhelming sicker popul in that option, what would happen to that group? You'd have to wonder if the gov't could afford to provide "traditional medicare fee for service" when the costs become too great. By that time, the old geezers would not be such a political threat since they would be dying out and they would be outnumbered by all of the other age groups that actually have to pay for their stuff. Bottom line though is just what would the traditional medicare option cost them? It may very well become too expensive. Currently, the cost of medigap supplement premiums go up with age. I have some 80+ clients that are paying about $350/mo plus their Part B premium for a Plan F. Those premiums reflect the higher costs of getting old.
Let's create a system that is self-funding, maybe more like FDR intended. 2008 Obama said it was a problem. 2012 Obama has yet to do anything but sure can demonize other people adult enough to address it.
That's why Obama needs another 4 years! If he hadn't been so busy cleaning up the mess of the previous incompetent President, maybe he would have had the opportunity to fix medicare.
not changing it? Really? You must be one of the "lucky ones" that's over 55.
Every working american has paid for that benefit for his old age. Take the $$ out of somewhere else in the federal budget. Leave my medicare and social security alone!
I wonder if a class action lawsuit against the Federal Govt is in order from those that under age 55 should they be successful in implementing this tyranny?
$500 billion in "less spending" over 10 years is signed law.
Current law effects everyone nevermind those under 55.
The Romney/Ryan offers seniors the same plan that members of Congress get.
Not true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jt800
Seniors already like Ryan's plan the best...that's been shown in polls.
Geez - you're already over 2,000 posts in just a couple of months. Tell me, do they pay you by the post or by the hour? 'Course P&C is rife w/paid sock puppets - they always come of the woodwork before an election. But, you're a new hire, apparently. Welcome to C-D. You probably are already on many Ignore Lists.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by squarian
Supposing Ryan's plan were adopted and Medicare converted to a voucher system, and supposing Ryan's rather vague assurance that market competition will drive down cost does not come about, who will pay the difference? No doubt affluent elderly people will simply buy supplementary insurance. Very poor elderly people will revert to Medicaid, I suppose. Everyone in between will either pay out of their own resources, or stagger through the doors of emergency rooms, correct? But for those who can pay, wouldn't that have the effect of reducing their wealth, probably very substantially, ultimately leaving less for their heirs. Or alternately, the heirs themselves will, if they can, be called on by filial duty to pay their parents' medical expenses.
In which case, if I understand this correctly, modestly-prosperous families whose heads are under 55 and therefore would be affected by the proposal, stand to lose both ways. Not only will the parents face much greater medical expenses, but ultimately their children will also face a loss of wealth. Cui bono, then? Certainly not the young, apart from those with the astounding good luck to prematurely lose both parents to a train accident.
And a further angle occurs: supposing the Ryan proposal fails to reduce medical costs, and supposing I was a modestly-wealthy person unaffected by the proposal because I'm already over 55, but I had fond hopes of leaving my children and their children with some wealth: wouldn't I be concerned that my wealth, accumulated so painstakingly, would be lost to my heirs' medical bills? I might as well save everyone the paperwork and leave my estate to a hospital.
Quote:
Originally Posted by squarian
Right - I'm assuming hypothetically that the ACA is repealed jointly with the Ryan plan being implemented. I can see the logic to the ACA reducing costs - what I'm unclear on, after doing my best to discover the answer, is how Ryan's plan is meant to do so. As far as I can tell, Ryan simply relies on competition to drive down costs. My query is really this: if that doesn't work, won't his "premium support" vouchers fail to cover costs, and if so, won't this adversely affect intergenerational wealth transfer?
A thinking man, at last.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LauraC
AARP threw seniors under the bus when they supported Obamacare because the insurance end of AARP was poised to make a ton of bucks on it just like hawkeye said. The first thing they did after Obamacare was passed was ask for a waiver just like all of the unions that supported it. AARP can kiss my azz in Macy's window.
Link, please. Anyone can say anything in cyberspace. I'm on a UHC Advantage plan - AARP Secure Horizons - for now. Seems to be working fine. May go to a high-deductible F Medigap the end of this year. Bought a car many years ago with $500 AARP credit. I don't have a problem w/AARP.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wehotex
Bottom line though is just what would the traditional medicare option cost them? It may very well become too expensive. Currently, the cost of medigap supplement premiums go up with age. I have some 80+ clients that are paying about $350/mo plus their Part B premium for a Plan F. Those premiums reflect the higher costs of getting old.
Absolutely, that 80/yo is paying $450/mo for his health insurance. I attended an Advantage meeting a year ago where the husband of an elderly couple was switching to UHC no-premium Advantage. Wife had too many ailments, but said her Medigap had paid for all of them. However, their Medigap was going to over $300/mo ea. the following year. That's over $600/mo each, plus Parts B&D - $900/mo for married couple. Average retirees CANNOT AFFORD this. This so-called premium support/voucher of Ryan is a nonstarter.
Just like the defined contribution plans destroyed retiree benefits - I am a victim (75% reduction in retirement benefit), so will this defined contribution plan do the same for health care costs for seniors - increase them beyond affordability.
People are earning less these days. Therefore, they are saving less. There is NO WAY retirees 10 or 15 years from now will be in a better financial position than the retirees of today, and it will get worse with time as defined benefit pensions disappear and wages - and the ability to save for retirement - in this country continue their decline.
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Obama is such a sleeze, I was starting to lean towards his favor. Then I realized, he could careless about Americans. There are important issues to be discussed and he has NO PLAN. All he can shell out is negative ads, because he can't run on the past 3 1/2 years.
Ryan knows more, thats the way I see it. I believe in the Romney/Ryan plans!
What?? The AARP supports the Obama Medicare plan? No way!
In equally shocking news, the Family Research Council has announced it will not be supporting same-sex marriage.
AARP is in it for the money, not the patients. When has an insurance company failed. NEVER.
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Tell me, do they pay you by the post or by the hour? 'Course P&C is rife w/paid sock puppets - they always come of the woodwork before an election. But, you're a new hire, apparently. Welcome to C-D. You probably are already on many Ignore Lists.
