Van Hollen takes Medicare age increase and Social Security off the table (updated)

[ProSense]

Last edited Tue Nov 27, 2012, 09:45 PM - Edit history (1)

Zach Carter

Fiscal Cliff: House Democrats Close Ranks Against Social Security Cuts

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Tuesday that Social Security cuts should not be part of any deal to avert the "fiscal cliff."

Van Hollen's comments, which came during an interview with MSNBC's Tamron Hall, reveal that Democratic leaders in the House are closing ranks behind Senate leadership against cuts to the retirement program.

"With respect to Social Security, I agree with what the president has said and what (Rep.) Peter DeFazio said. Social Security is not part of the deficit and debt problem. We're not going to raid Social Security in order to balance other parts of the budget," Van Hollen said.

<....>

Earlier on Tuesday, Van Hollen told Fox News that raising the eligibility age for Medicare was not an effective way to lower the system's long-term costs. Escalating domestic health care costs, which are much higher than those of other developed nations, are a key driver of the long-term U.S. budget deficit. Many progressive lawmakers and economists have advocated to make Medicare more efficient, rather than simply cutting benefits to recipients. Since low-income citizens generally live shorter lives than wealthier citizens, raising the eligibility age for Medicare to 67 from 65 would disproportionately harm the poor. Reining in the health care system's costs, however, involves taking on politically powerful corporations on Capitol Hill, including the pharmaceutical industry.

"Moving (Medicare) from 65 to 67 is, again, not reducing costs in Medicare," Van Hollen told Fox. "It's not really reforming the Medicare system … there are a lot better ways of doing it."

- more -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/fiscal-cliff-democrats-social-security_n_2199833.html

Updated to add:

Fox News Host Demands To Know Why Democrats Won’t Raise Medicare Age
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/27/1245971/fox-news-medicare/

[Panasonic]

1. SS and Medicare and Obamacare are permanently OFF the table.

The Republican's precious pork budget of Department of Defense needs to be cut to the bone and recall all troops, return the air bases outside of the U.S. to the appropriate host country, and sell off about 70% of the unnecessary equipment (such as many planes) - and retire the remaining 30% to the boneyard for regeneration.

Also, the loopholes for the oil and gas industry? Gone - bye bye loopholes, and hello to new taxes that will be placed AGAINST the oil & gas industry - especially the hydrofrackers - 200% windfall tax on any assets on these oil and gas industry, until it is paid back to the U.S. Treasury in full from any profits - the oil and gas industry needs to have very little profits, if any.

[freshwest]

6. +1,000 to what you said. and the ACA also increases Medicaid. It's the one for the poorest Americans

And thanks for details on the progressive agenda...

[Honeycombe8]

12. They are going to do SOMETHING regarding Medicare. What it SHOULD be is....

repeal that provision that the govt can't negotiate with pharma companies for drugs in the Medicare program. Some guy on TV said that would save a TON of money. It might even be enough to fix the Medicare shortfall for many years to come.

I don't know if that's true. That's what he said, though. I wish I couldn't remember who that was.

Second, McCaskill said some sort of means testing might be in order, for very wealthy people. She said "we don't need to be paying for Donald Trump's meds."

[Liberalynn]

23. I don't know if it is the same interview or not

but I heard Senator Whitehouse say that trillions could be saved in both Medicare/Medicaid and if fraud and waste were cracked down on, without any benefit cuts. I think he was on Tweeties' show.

Reduction in fraud and waste I can applaud. Just not cutting benefits to people who have already paid for them, harming patient care, or hurting hard working hospital staff that actually care about their patients. I say that last part cause my late Mom was a nurse, and the nurses who took care of her at a local hospital and then a nursing home were tremendous to her and us during the last stages of her battles with Leukemia and Parkinson's. As were the aids, orderlies, etc.

My sister is also in health care on the management end and she works 60 hour weeks and busts her butt for her organization, a not for profit nursing home.

[Honeycombe8]

28. Interesting. I agree about cutting benefits. But how do you PLAN for cutting waste/fraud....

what you would have to do is cut the BUDGET, and then SAY you're going to look for waste/fraud. But it still would be a CUT to the program. We all know what fraud is, but who decides what "waste" is?

Besides, this administration has already been going after fraud in Medicare big time. They've caught more fraud in Medicare in 4 years than Bush did in 8.

[Liberalynn]

29. That's a good point about who dertermines what is wasteful

The Senator was talking in terms of duplication of services, inefficient billing procedures, etc.

But it also takes additional resources to identify those things, and they add cost, at least at the start.

I don't know what the ultimate answer is but I agree I don't think benefit cutting is it either.

[spanone]

2. k&r...

[MiniMe]

3. That is my congressman until January

he was redistricted for the next congress.

[freshwest]

7. Sorry to hear that. Who gets the district?

[MiniMe]

20. Van Hollen will still have a seat, just a different geographic. John Delaney won in my district.

They did that to redistrict Roscoe Bartlett (an original teabbager) out.

[freshwest]

25. Ah, so all is well. That's good.

[Honeycombe8]

13. Oh, I hate to hear that. I like him. Any chance he'll run again? nt

[MiniMe]

21. He didn't lose his seat

They just changed where his district is. Both sides are redistricting to try to win seats in the house.

[Enrique]

4. very good news

he had made some statements about raising the Medicare age, if he has flipped on that, that is a good sign.

[ProSense]

5. Very. n/t

[eridani]

8. To make sure they stay off the table, keep on with those calls and letters

And no chained CPI for COLA either. The more they hear it, the better off we all will be.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. I am still calling tomorrow

Keep the pressure

[freshwest]

10. Thanks, Pro Sense. As far answering Fox Noise, they should read this:

Ezra Klein: Why rich guys want to raise the retirement age

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/24/1164336/-Ezra-Klein-Why-rich-guys-want-to-raise-the-retirement-age

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/11/21/why-rich-guys-want-to-raise-the-retirement-age/

From FourScore's post which is long enough to explain this to anyone who wants to know why it will stay off the table for the good of all:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021876309

[bluestate10]

11. Social Security should be on the table.

And the only reason and choice should be to eliminate the cap on the payroll tax.

[freshwest]

16. That has already been discussed by Obama, Reid or Pelosi. Saw it somewhere here, tired of googling.

[stupidicus]

14. that's odd

I didn't see anything in all that which would lead one to believe that opposition to Medicare tweaking is near as great as that for SS, nor did I realize that he holds sufficient power to keep them off the table.

Given all that dem opposition though, it's a good thing they didn't "concern troll" here on DU with it prior to the election, no?

[kentuck]

15. On the table...off the table...Can't he make up his damn mind...

He's like a frigging yo-yo.

[Zorra]

17. If Senate Dems really do unite and take this off the table...we're gonna need to

start a fan club.

Potential groupie here.

[ProSense]

22. They have no reason not to.

No one in their right mind supports this. The only drivers are callousness (extremists in the Republican base) and greed (CEOs and Republican officials).

[Liberalynn]

24. me too

[freshwest]

18. Sanders Applauds White House for Taking Social Security Off the Table in Deficit Talks

Last edited Wed Nov 28, 2012, 01:02 AM - Edit history (1)

November 27th, 2012

http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=cf62b3c8-54a6-4ace-ab5a-8996e7d16441

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014319000

[ProSense]

19. Thanks for the link. n/t

[burnsei sensei]

26. Obama and the Democrats must

set the borderlines of this debate.
The election result, the public, demands nothing less!

[ProSense]

27. Yes. n/t