President Obama on Medicare and Turning 50

[ProSense]

President Obama on Medicare and Turning 50

By Marilyn Milloy, AARP The Magazine

<...>

Speaking of your daughters, do you hope their generation will experience aging differently than yours or your grandparents'?

It's already changed for my generation. When my grandparents were in their 50s, they were already "older." They drank, they smoked, they didn't exercise, they ate all kinds of stuff. And so they were already slowing down pretty good. Now I have friends who are 65 and 70 who are in better shape than my grandparents were when I was a kid. Americans want to be judged by their capacities, their interests, their curiosity, their imaginations, and not just by a number. I do want to make sure that when Malia and Sasha are entering their 50s, we still have the security of Social Security. Of Medicare. That we have maintained our commitment to people having basic security if things don't go well in their later years.

Yet in the debate over the deficit, people criticize "greedy geezers" for caring only about their entitlements. Is there any truth to that?

Well, seniors have paid into Social Security. They've paid into Medicare over a lifetime of hard work. And the notion that somehow they are asking for something that they don't deserve makes no sense to me. They're also under severe stress from the rise in things like gas prices, food prices, and home heating-oil prices. And if you're on a fixed income and the inflation rates on things like that are going up faster than your income, you have reason to worry. But I also think that older Americans don't want to leave huge debts to their kids and their grandkids in the form of massive deficits. That's why it's been important to reform the health care system, which is different from simply lopping off benefits under Medicare.

Can you slow the growth of Medicare costs without hurting access or quality?

What we did in the Affordable Care Act was to say there are ways we can get better bang for our health care dollars. The reforms ensured seniors can get preventive care, which could lead to less-expensive care down the road. Routine mammograms and colonoscopies are covered, there are 50 percent discounts on brand-name prescription drugs, and ultimately there's a close in the doughnut hole.

At the same time, we've said to hospitals and doctors: "Let's do things smart." Let's make sure we're not subsidizing the insurance industry for services that Medicare provides perfectly adequately. And that's in contrast to some proposals you've seen that say, "We're going to give you this set amount of money. You go into the open marketplace to try to buy health insurance," and lo and behold, you may not be able to buy it because the insurance companies are charging a lot more than what your voucher's worth. That's a way of shifting costs onto seniors. But we actually want to reduce costs.

What about Social Security?

I think we can make progress. We're ahead of the game in the sense that we're already having a vigorous debate now, and there's no danger of Social Security going bankrupt.

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[ClarkUSA]

1. This is further proof that Pres. Obama isn't on the same DLC page as Bill "Paul Ryan BBF" Clinton

"Bill Clinton Encourages Paul Ryan":
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=679353&mesg_id=680120

STFU, Bubba.

[jenmito]

2. Exactly. People love Bill until reality hits them in the face. n/t

[ClarkUSA]

3. Notice the silence around here? Gee, I wonder why.

:sarcasm:

[jenmito]

12. I sure do.

And we all know why.

[Peacetrain]

22. I am still stunned by that.. I keep hoping to hear some

explanation that what I heard was meant differently than what it sounded like

[golfguru]

4. None of the proposed changes affect me, I am over 55

So long as Medicare survives another 15-20 years,
I will be just fine. If it goes broke after that,
let the younger people decide what they want to do.

[Avant Guardian]

5. This is the exact attitude that the Ryan budget attempts to exploit

[golfguru]

8. It is the stark reality even if we all do not like it

There is no cure of insolvency except declare bankruptcy.
The budgets are already Trillions of dollars in deficits,
unemployment is stubbornly staying high, GDP growth is pathetic,
so I am assuming Medicare will be non-existent in a few years.

Personally, I am willing to take a cut in my Medicare benefits
RIGHT NOW. But the majority of seniors will not go along with that.
I have children too, and which is why I am willing to take cuts in my
current benefits.

[ProSense]

10. "Personally, I am willing to take a cut in my Medicare benefits

But the majority of seniors will not go along with that."

So you agree with Ryan that the tax cuts for the rich should be made permanent and Medicare benefits should be cut?

Maybe a plan can be created for you and other Ryan supporters to voluntarily give up your benefits. The rest of America can work to solve the problem by ending the wars, ending tax cuts for the rich, closing loopholes that benefit corporations and the rich and raising taxes.

[golfguru]

15. Where did the taxcuts for the rich come from here?

I thought we were talking about Medicare.
I am all for increasing taxes on individuals in
high income brackets. I am sure you recall me stating
just that many times in many posts. I am for elimination
of corporate taxes and INCREASING individual tax brackets.
I can not understand why the president extended Bush taxcuts for indivuals.

[ProSense]

17. Hmmmm?

"Where did the taxcuts for the rich come from here?
I thought we were talking about Medicare.
I am all for increasing taxes on individuals in
high income brackets. I am sure you recall me stating
just that many times in many posts. I am for elimination
of corporate taxes and INCREASING individual tax brackets.
I can not understand why the president extended Bush taxcuts for indivuals."

Now, one of your previous comments

"There is no cure of insolvency except declare bankruptcy.
The budgets are already Trillions of dollars in deficits,
unemployment is stubbornly staying high, GDP growth is pathetic,
so I am assuming Medicare will be non-existent in a few years."


So you're only interested in the part of Ryan's plan that cuts Medicare benefits?

Why is Ryan proposing cutting benefits and making the tax cuts for the rich permanent?

What does cutting Medicare benefits have to do with the unemployment rate?

"I am assuming Medicare will be non-existent in a few years"

Is this the reality you were referring to?

[golfguru]

18. That is what I hear from all non-partisan bodies...Medicare as we know

is unsustainable in it's present form. You do or do
not agree with that assessment?

My solution would be twofold. One, increase tax brackets on individuals and two, reform Medicare. Anything else is unworkable, unrealistic, and a pipe dream.

[ProSense]

19. So

you heard: "Medicare as we know is unsustainable in it's present form."

And interpreted to mean: "Medicare will be non-existent in a few years"


"My solution would be twofold. One, increase tax brackets on individuals and two, reform Medicare. Anything else is unworkable, unrealistic, and a pipe dream."

"Reform Medicare" = cut benefits?

Are you saying that any plan to reform Medicare that doesn't cut benefits is "unworkable, unrealistic, and a pipe dream"?

Really?

[golfguru]

20. lol increasing benefits probably won't work

so will need higher taxes from the richer folks.
But that alone will not be enough to fund all of Medicare needs and liabilities. Unless of course if taxes are raised on just not the rich but also middle class. That will not be popular or wise from economic POV. Which then leaves reforming Medicare in a form which will save costs. Not necessarily cut benefits as you say, but make it more cost effective, reduce waste and fraud (Billions of dollars every year). There are smart people who can figure out how.

[ProSense]

6. Dems To GOP:

Stop Lying To Seniors That Republican Budget Won’t Impact Current Medicare Beneficiaries

"So long as Medicare survives another 15-20 years, I will be just fine."

I got mine, screw the rest of you!

[Enrique]

7. you forgot the parody smiley

we need one of those. You're going to get slammed. :-)

[golfguru]

9. I get slammed a lot for stating reality n/t

[ProSense]

11. It's probably for stating the Republican version of reality. n/t

[golfguru]

Reality knows no party....unless

one has the party "blinders" on.

[ProSense]

14. So you

agree with Ryan that the tax cuts for the rich should be made permanent and Medicare benefits should be cut?

Reality is not an opinion.

[golfguru]

16. Please read post #15 for answer.

[golfguru]

13. dupl n/t

[dionysus]

23. that's more than a tad callous, don't you think?

[renaissanceguy]

21. Spoken like a true Democrat.

People have paid into the system and they deserve to receive the benefits that they paid for.

http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues/7821535

[ProSense]

24. Kick

What about Social Security?

I think we can make progress. We're ahead of the game in the sense that we're already having a vigorous debate now, and there's no danger of Social Security going bankrupt.

The issue is, can we make these tweaks to ensure that everybody who's expecting a dollar in Social Security payments gets a dollar instead of 75 cents? And the sooner we do it, the better off we're going to be. I think that if we can make some progress first on Medicare and Medicaid, because those are the entitlement programs that are really driving the long-term debt, we'll have a framework of negotiations to actually do something on Social Security as well.