President Obama Fudges Truth on Medicare - WSJ.com »
Posted By gunnyreef 3 months, 2 weeks ago in Political NewsThe Wall Street Journal breaks down President Obama's Wednesday night speech and the truth about Medicare.
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I am a true conservative, i believe in limited government, low taxes, personal responsibility,states rights and personal freedom! I tow no party lines and ...
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Tasine3 months, 2 weeks ago
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FTA: Mr. Obama also called for "civility" in debate even as he calls the arguments of his critics "lies." So in the spirit of civility, we won't accuse the President of lying about Medicare. We'll just say his claims bear little relation to anything true.
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Article points out some serious flaws in the reasoning of what Obama said in his speech, but of course we all knew those when we heard them.
To paraphrase: Because Medicare has gotten us so deeply in debt and is not economical, we should install another plan just like it, except for everyone. And the new plan won't lead us into more debt because Medicare, the broken government plan, will finance part of it. Got that?
If this is not circular thinking, I don't know what it is. Is this the level of intelligence Harvard graduates? Is this the level of intelligence law schools everywhere produce? If this "plan" is not insane, someone please explain to me why it isn't.-
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Beau78903 months, 2 weeks ago
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The Wall Street Journal is itself fudging the truth in this piece.
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While it’s true that Medicare Advantage (aka Medicare Part C) allows enrollees to purchase supplemental insurance that can provide more access to healthcare than Medicare Parts A and B, there are some significant disadvantages to Medicare Advantage when compared to Medicare + Choice, as Medicare Part C was called when it was originally created in 1997, before the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 was enacted.
The article says:
”In fact, Advantage does provide better care, which is one reason that enrollment has doubled since 2003. It's true that the program could be better designed, with more competitive bidding and quality bonuses. But Advantage's private insurers today provide the kind of care that Mr. Obama said he would mandate that private insurers provide for the nonelderly—‘to cover, with no extra charge, routine checkups and preventative care.’ “
The MMA changed the rules to Medicare Part C when it created Medicare Advantage--incidentally adding over $534 billion to the cost of Medicare over 10 years--to create some advantages for insurers and reduce benefits for enrollees.
Some of those changes:
-- Enrollees must sign on to a plan for an entire year, rather than being able to switch back to traditional Medicare at any time
-- Healthcare is allowed be restricted to networks of providers chosen by private insurers, rather than open to all doctors of the patient’s choice
-- Formularies are allowed to be used to restrict prescription drug choices
-- Emergency care is allowed to be restricted to a particular region, rather than being accessible everywhere in the U.S.
-- Reimbursement by the government can be lowered, depending on the health risk of enrollees
These changes benefited private insurance companies offering Part C plans--they enabled insurers to lower their costs while still charging higher-than-standard Medicare premiums to enrollees.
In the spirit of civility, I won't accuse the Wall Street Journal of lying about Medicare Advantage. I'll just say its claims bear little relation to anything true.
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calitennflo3 months, 2 weeks ago
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Things like this happens when a government is postured upon secrecy.Why?...they must be hiding something...and from us...the ones they govern.This means we appointed them to do just that.
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"our health-care system is placing an unsustainable burden on taxpayers," especially Medicare! LOL n No mention of the bank bailouts...what burden did that place upon us...and then who got the reward...bonuses, etc. Not us.
Plain and simple...everyone in Washington has a problem with management period. They do not know how. -
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Endoscopy3 months, 2 weeks ago
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Obama flat out lied about some things or else he is ignorant of what is in the bills floating around Congress. There are 5 of them but the one of particular interest is HR3200.
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For those who claim that he did not lie then he spoke in ignorance. What he said in several instances is contrary to what is in the bills in congress.-
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Leemck023 months, 2 weeks ago
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Be concerned that your representatives do their jobs and clean it up. The Party of No causing a stir without shaking up a solution is stupid. Cheering that sort of behavior is no way to run a nation with claims to be the leader of the free world.
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Leemck023 months, 2 weeks ago
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The nation had 'W' for eight years and do I hear shock and awe on a lie? Make government work, and the Party of No has not shown the leadership to help. The truth is made in the crafting of the bill. Your statement seems deceitful, or is more of a lie than what you claim the President told. It is a chance you do not know how our process works since we have have lockstep and gridlock for so long.
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Leemck023 months, 2 weeks ago
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Did they break down the conditions that were responsible for the meltdown? All the failures in the rating and credit companies more in their preview.
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What did they say when 'W' wanted to privatize social security? Now, they are coming to the rescue. Go tell it to the Madoff victims.
Do you remember when the communist were using mainstream news to push their agenda? The nation finally established an office for misinformation. Seems the office need to expand their mission to party propaganda.-
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Striker1013 months, 2 weeks ago
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Open mouth and insert foot!
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Meltdown caused by CRA regulations, put the economy, companies, people and the nation into meltdown, including government which has done everything wrong every since. everything.
What "rescue"? Madoff yes bad guy but relevance?
Then that last paragraph is so incoherent we don't know what to say to you.
Good grief, try to regain your brain.
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dunkirk3 months, 2 weeks ago
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The righties areou toi n force foaming at the mouth, ROFLMAO, its truly sad when he continue to place party way over country at any expense. Its especially humorous when they calim Obama is being secretive after supporting the most shady, corrupt and secret administration in the history of the nation, the Dumya. What they still seem to fail to realize is the nation IS becoiming aware of thier tactics and are becoming fed up with it. Opposing something because its bad is always lauded in the US but they dont seem to get it that oipposing something because it isnt theirs is NEVER applauded. The gop is quickly becoming the party of malcontents and wacks.
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Redneck3 months, 2 weeks ago
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There is no specific provision to exclude illegal aliens. Amendments to that effect have been rejected twice. Unless the right language is in the bill it is up to those who enforce the provision to determine who is covered. AND they cannot reject or limit a group which is not specifically named. These bills would cover anyone who is on American soil.
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NoWayMan3 months, 2 weeks ago
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FTA: "So no cuts, for anyone—except, that is, for the 24% of senior beneficiaries who are enrolled in the Medicare Advantage program, which Democrats want to slash by $177 billion or more because it is run by private companies. Mr. Obama called that money "unwarranted subsidies in Medicare that go to insurance companies—subsidies that do everything to pad their profits but don't improve the care of seniors."
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see, this op-ed is defintiely fudging the truth.
the 24% of seniors enrolled in medicare advantage WILL NOT BE CUT, they'lll just be put under regular medicare, which is the same as medicare advantage except it won't be billed at the higher rates to private contractors under the medicare advantage plan.
and btw, medicare advantage was installed by Bush. and its a measure that is a veiled attempt to chip away at your medicare. so why weren't the cons mad when bush rammed that horrible plan thru congress?
getting rid of medicare advantage will save us a bundle. -
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Tumultuous3 months, 2 weeks ago
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The con's are delusional fear-mongering paranoids.
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Paying for Health Care Reform:
$313 Billion in Additional Savings to Create a Deficit Neutral Plan
http://www.whitehouse.gov/MedicareFactSheetFinal/
Get a grip. -
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