Medicare Scare 2.0

[saden1]

Seems like everyone is out to scare seniors to win elections. It's kinda funny and tragic but mostly tragic. What's really interesting to me is the short term memory the GOP. What were their talkingpoints the last couple of years to attack Obamacare? They are stealing 500 billion from Medicare...ACA will kill grandma...they are gutting Medicare...death panels!

Ryan: ‘Mediscare’ Campaign Cost GOP the NY-26 Race - Washington Wire - WSJ

[firstdown]

You mean the Paul Ryan plan that no one knows the first thing about so they make up talking points to scare old people. The same old people that his plan would not affect in the first place. I have not read the bill but I have seen Ryan on PBS and I have not heard one person other then him describe his plan correctly. Same thing the left did back in the 80's when the GOP wanted to reform wellfair. The problem is we have a broken syatem that is going broke but if anyone has any idea other then throwing more money into the current system the media jumps all over them. I'd say that 99.9 of the dems did not read Obama's health care bill they voted on and the same have not read Ryan's bill but they sure can bitch about what they don't know about. Ryan's bill actually is means tested and makes most of its cuts on the rich not the poor but hey this is the US and no one wants to cut anything for anyone to save any money.

[over the mountain]

Death panels!!!

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

Death panels!!!

I actually believe that we do need some form of review board so we are not spending 100 grand to give a guy dying of cancer open heart surgery to keep them alive so they die 3 months later from cancer.

[MTK]

Right, because nobody ever beats the odds.

Brilliant.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Right, because nobody ever beats the odds.

Brilliant.

I think what FD is trying to say is if they have stage 4 cancer and are surly going to die we shouldn't pay 100k to treat them. Too many old people simply want to hang on by a thread...what happened to dieing with grace and dignity?

[MTK]

Is there an epidemic when it comes to end of life cancer patients having major surgeries unrelated to their cancer? Those that sick typically can't endure a major operation. Or are you saying stage 4 patients shouldn't be treated at all? Stage 4 isn't always a death sentence.

Regardless I think people should make that choice themselves. I find it odd FD wants big brother making life and death decisions.

[Schneed10]

Who cares about death panels. The bigger problem is Medicare will run out of money sometime in the 2020s, even with Obamacare which is projected to improve the situation.

Changes have to be made, the status quo is entirely unsustainable. Just because projections for what will happen 10-20 years from now seems so far away doesn't mean it won't happen. Sounding that particular alarm is not a scare tactic, it's a reality check.

We have to raise the MC eligibilty age, invest funds more wisely, and expose the patient to more out of pocket cost for every health care service utilized. It's the only way to balance it, without increasing taxes significantly.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

I find it odd FD wants big brother making life and death decisions.

Ditto.

One of the major points against a single payer, gov't run health system is so that there aren't "death panels" (or basically a small group of people who decide what types of treatments get funded/not funded by the only health insurer in town). With private insurance you have options, if a company has a bad reputation or doesn't provide the coverage desired, move to the next option (yes, I know health care choice are more limited than going from store-to-store in the mall).

[SmootSmack]

Pretty cool behind the scenes exchange

Bill Clinton to Paul Ryan on Medicare Election: ‘Give me a Call’ - The Note

[firstdown]

If you guys don't think people are not making some of those decisions now you don't understand ins. Do you understand the 1000's of procedures currently not covered by ins.? At some point we have to realize that we have to make cuts to provide affordable health coverage and part of that equation is not covering everthing that some people want done. I'm just dealing in reality and my knowledge of ins.

[MTK]

I know insurance. Still not the same as death panels.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Pretty cool behind the scenes exchange

Bill Clinton to Paul Ryan on Medicare Election: ‘Give me a Call’ - The Note

Very interesting video...politics is dirty game.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

I know insurance. Still not the same as death panels.

So when the ins. company denies a person a bone marrow transplant because they don't feel it will extend their life/quality of life that is not a death panel? Its done everyday its just not called a death panel. Thats just a fancy name the right uses to scare old people away from socialized health care. I'm not advocating socialized health care but for people to think that there will not be people making these decisions one way or the other are fooling themself. If you think we could have a national health plan without these controls then your still fooling yourself. They are just a sad fact about how insurance works and keeps some kind of control on cost.If everything was covered all the time rates would be double what they are today.

[firstdown]

Back on subject. The people bashing Ryans plan need to read some of it first because the bashing I'm hearing is not even factually correct. I keep hearing it will force old people off medicare but they are grandfathered under his plan. I keep hearing that it will cut coverage for the ederly poor. When it actually provides more coverage for the poor and cuts coverage for the rich. Its means tested and thats where allot of the saving comes from. I'm not saying his plan will work but we need to have a starting point and work on the problem.