Krugman- Suckers!

[n2doc]

April 4, 2011, 8:21 AM
Privatizing Medicare

So they’re really going to propose it.

More when we have some details. But two key points:

1. Privatizing and voucherizing Medicare does nothing whatsoever to control costs. We’ve seen that from the sorry history of Medicare Advantage. I’m sure that the Republicans will claim savings — but those savings will come entirely from limiting the vouchers to below the rate of rise in health care costs; in effect, they will come from denying medical care to those who can’t afford to top up their premiums.

Oh, and for all those older Americans who voted GOP last year because those nasty Democrats were going to cut Medicare, I have just one word: suckers!

2. E.J. Dionne is right: This will be Obama’s defining moment. Will he stand up for the principle that society takes care of those in need? Or will he cave in? I wish I had confidence in the answer.

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/privatizing-medicare/

[xchrom]

1. recommend

[Bandit]

2. When has Obama stood strong on principle on anything what-so-ever?

:shrug: Appeasement.....And we all know how that worked out for Chamberlain.

[adhd_what_huh]

4. When has Obama stood strong on principle on anything what-so-ever?

ending pre-existing condition in health care.

[TheKentuckian]

5. Or you could say ending preconditions was the fig leaf to cover for mandated indentured status to th

insurance cartel. How would one sell such a foolish thing otherwise?

[Lorien]

10. Bingo. There's the truth of it

and insurance companies still won't cover those with a pre-existing condition in a way that anyone who isn't rich can afford.

[daa]

6. How's that working out?

Wednesday, March 23, 2011


NASHVILLE — It’s not easy shopping for health insurance, whether you’re in your 60s with a chronic condition or young, healthy and athletic.

On the one-year anniversary of the federal health care reform law, little has changed for thousands of adults who have to pay their own way.

Denial rates for individual health coverage remain high. Premium costs continue to rise. And there’s uncertainty about the guarantees of universal coverage, due to start in 2014 but now facing renewed political and legal challenges in Tennessee and nationally.

Linda Pearce, of Nolensville, can’t wait until 2014. She’s paying $670 a month on a COBRA policy that will run its course before she’s old enough to qualify for Medicare. COBRA is a federal law that allows displaced workers to stay on an ex-employer’s health plan temporarily if they pay the entire premium.

“I had someone from AARP call me about insurance,” she said. “I said something about pre-existing conditions. He said, ‘Let me get back to you.’ He never did.”

[StarburstClock]

7. I seriously doubt that person gives a flying f___ how things actually work out

evidenced by the fact that they will never present any evidence of how anything actually works out.

[Raster]

14. The truth is: It's NOT! Just another faux touchy-feely item for the re-election resume.

[ThomCat]

8. That doesn't help much if you can't ever afford to buy or use the

insurance.

Sure, they now have to sell you a policy, but it will probably cost you over $2,000 per month in many parts of the country. Especially if you want to have a low co-insurance cost and low co-pay. How many people can afford that?

If you are willing to have a large co-insurance and large co-pay maybe you'll only pay $800 per month. If you can afford that you can have your policy. But if you ever try to use it, even a minor sickness or injury will cost you thousands of dollars. Can you afford that?

This is the perfect example of pretending to give you something while, in fact, not actually giving you anything at all. The insurance companies were the only ones that got anything of value. Their income skyrocketed. Their ability to rip people off skyrocketed. And their mandatory customer base is going to skyrocket soon too, with a new 22% income tax on all healthy people paid directly to insurance companies.

[sendero]

16. It's not 2014 yet...

..and there are loopholes in that provision you could drive a Mack truck through.

I'll believe it when it actually happens, which I claim will be never.

[fascisthunter]

3. he won't "cave"... he'll make it look like a "cave"

it's what he's been doing all along.

[sofa king]

9. Now, now.

The President's going to do what he does best, which is to stake out a reasonable and moderate position, and wait for the Republican pussies to roll over behind closed doors.

This one is easy, because he gets to let the Republicans shake the voodoo doll around and be hated by an overwhelming majority of Americans, wait for the Senate to shoot it down, and claim credit for having a "role" in killing this proposal, in addition to every single other dipshit proposal the Republicans have offered this year, not one of which will pass in the Senate.

Note that at this point, the President has turned the propaganda organ on its head, actually taking advantage of the fact that the press and the public is grossly ignorant of the workings of Congress. Properly reported, this would be a toss-off one-paragraph giggle about how those silly and ineffective Republicans have proposed yet another stupid idea that will never see the light of day.

Instead, the fires of our outrage are stoked, and the momentum for an overwhelming Democratic victory in 2012 is increased again.

[Lorien]

11. Yep. Good cop/ bad cop

and Trojan Horse through and through.

[unkachuck]

12. K&R for the suckers....n/t

[senseandsensibility]

13. k and r

Waiting for them to do the right thing is not an option. We need to be on their cases NOW, After the healtchcare fiasco and the extension of the tax cuts for the super wealthy, I have no illusions left.

[russspeakeasy]

25. Illusions are gone,... but I have one delusion left. ..

Obama goes on national tv and says "looking back, I
really screwed the pooch". "bipartisanship is
bullshit".

[NoBlueDogs]

15. K&R for his humor alone!

I love that, he said "suckers!"

That's gotta sting.

[ellenrr]

17. "Or will he cave in?" really stupid question

[closeupready]

21. Yes. Krugman is playing dumb, but we all know the answer to that.

nt

[inna]

26. exactly. damn, i miss Krugman of the bush era, when he didn't use to self-censor

or whatever the heck it is that he's doing now when he's 'playing dumb'.

[BlueJac]

18. Obama is playing chess.......

he doesn't have time for this kind of stuff!

[undeterred]

28. He's playing footsie

with the GOP.

[Old Codger]

19. Once again

Another attempt by the right to give insurance cos. a bonus for screwing the most people.

[Better Believe It]

20. K & R

[demigoddess]

22. what the republicans really want to do is to kill off all the old people

leaving the country mostly young people that will pay into the program without the pesky problem of people who want to collect on their investment. That money can then be used for various fly by night things like wars. This is also why they oppose abortion, birth control etc. They think the world worked best when the natural order of things was that few people lived over the age of 65. I have been doing genealogy on my family lately and you wold be surprised at how many died in their forties, fifties and even earlier. Republican heaven.

[russspeakeasy]

23. "This will be Obama's defining moment"?

How many goddamned defining moments does this guy get. Here's
my prediction...He caves. And there will be another defining
moment.

[valerief]

24. Privatizing Medicare will make rich people richer, and that's the most important thing in the world.

That I've learned.

Knowledge is nothing.
Joy is nothing.
Making rich people richer is everything.

[undeterred]

27. Expecting Obama to do something on principle is like believing in the Easter Bunny.