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August 15, 2012
Railroaded
By Kathy Malloy
Given Romney's revisionist history and general lack of "truthiness," it's not remarkable that he would radically change his tune in the course of 72 hours, but it does weaken his chosen image as The Man With the Plan to Save America! Especially since he once embraced -- and implemented -- so many of the very provisions of The Affordable Care Act he now so vehemently despises.
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The Doublespeak Twins have confused "bold" for "hazy" in their description of their Medicare "reform" plan. The Big R rambles nonsensically about "choice" and "options" and "preservation" while the fast-talking little R widens his round blue eyes and spits out a speed-of-sound succession of syllables which, slowed to the perception of the human ear, sound something like "not vouchers, exactly."
The plan from Team RomRyan has been characterized by the corporate media as "bold," gutsy," and even "revolutionary." Hmmnnnn ... er, what is their reform plan, exactly? Am I missing something, because it seems more "obscure, cloudy, and vague" where I'm sitting.
For a couple of Ayn Rand ideologues, they sure lack her clarity and straightforward objectivism.
Their Obama attack ads claim: "When he ran for president, he said he'd protect Medicare, but did you know that he has taken $716 billion out of the Medicare trust fund? The money you paid for your guaranteed health care is going to a massive new government program that's not for you. The Romney-Ryan plan protects Medicare benefits for today's seniors and strengthens the plan for the next generation," the ad's narrator says.
Robert Reich explains it far better than can I:
"Stumping in Florida today, Mitt Romney charged President Obama's Affordable Care Act will 'cut more than $700 billion' out of Medicare. What Romney didn't say was that his running-mate's budget -- approved by House Republicans and by Romney himself -- would cut Medicare by the same amount."The big difference, though, is the Affordable Care Act achieves these savings by reducing Medicare payments to drug companies, hospitals, and other providers rather than cutting payments to Medicare beneficiaries. A July 24, 2012 report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office confirms this.
"The Romney-Ryan plan, by contrast, achieves its savings by turning Medicare into a voucher whose value doesn't keep up with expected increases in healthcare costs -- thereby shifting the burden onto Medicare beneficiaries, who will have to pay an average of $6,500 a year more for their Medicare insurance, according an analysis of the Republican plan by the Congressional Budget Office.
"Moreover, the Affordable Care Act uses its Medicare savings to help children and lower-income Americans afford health care, and to help seniors pay for prescription drugs by filling the so-called 'donut hole' in Medicare Part D coverage. The Romney-Ryan plan uses the savings to finance even bigger tax cuts for the very wealthy.
"Spread the word. Don't allow the GOP to get away with this demagoguery."
GOP headliners and surrogates are out in force railing against the president and critics of their plan to end Medicare as we know it. Mittens himself responded to the justifiable reaction to his ill-defined Medicare proposals by calling the President "angry, and desperate to hold onto power."