Obama Campaign Says Slashing Medicare An 'Achievement'

It seems the Obama Campaign has switched their tactics about Medicare cuts.

The PPACA law apparently has provisions for $700 billion in "cuts" to Medicare. (some already started?)

Of course this may be part of just having all citizens on some kind of private insurance plan. (Does ObamaCare provide for that?)

Democrats have been shouting and stomping about the Paul Ryan plan for Medicare by claiming it would cut Medicare. (and maybe it does?)

Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter calls the ObamaCare Medicare cuts an “achievement” now !!! (I think the $700 billion cuts have been "muted" until now?)

Many Obama supporters are sounding confused right now.

Medicare money comes from payroll deductions and from Social Security check deductions. (how much comes out of "checks"?)

This morning, Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter appeared on Face The Nation, where she discussed Obamacare’s $700 billion cuts to Medicare. She touted those cuts as an “achievement”:

Well, you know ask the wealthy to pay a little bit more. Cut waste from the government. Reform Medicare. More than $300 billion in savings from Medicare. On top of the savings we’ve already achieved. You know I heard Mitt Romney deride the $700 billion cuts in Medicare that the president achieved through health care reform.


This is how Paul Ryan’s selection has already shifted the debate. Now the Obama campaign is forced to tout its Medicare cuts as “achievements.” That’s a far cry from the leftists who dominate the Obama camp, who must be crying into their beers at this point – just yesterday, Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, was urging Obama “to draw a clear contrast in 2012 by promising not to cut one penny from Medicare or Social Security benefits.”.....

...story from Breitbart

I think some Medicare cuts have already taken place without any "replacement" plan for the cuts ?

Can somebody explain these complicated Medicare "changes" from both plans.

We need to find out the best way.

What are the Differences between plans ?

Who has the better "Plan" ?

related article from TownHall.com that points to some "PolitiFact Findings' !!
It Begins: Democrats Repeat 'Lie of the Year' on Medicare


(YouTube)

Published on Aug 12, 2012

On "Face the Nation" Stephanie Cutter admits that Obama cut $700 Billion from Medicare (August 12, 2012).

Obama Deputy Campaign Manager: You Bet Obama Cut Medicare By $700 Billion

reply to post by xuenchen


Uh yeah. They slashed the waste and the fraud. They slashed money that was going to suits instead of patients. Yeah, that's right. They slashed it. I thought you righties wanted to cut cost ? You know , all that fiscal conservative crap ? Yeah. I knew that was all a front. I knew there was no such thing.

Oh and if you are really worried about Grand Ma and Grand Pa, take a look at Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney. Now they want to take away the whole darn thing and hand grand ma a coupon. A friggen coupon. So, let's make sure we get all irate about that so we don't look like putrid hypocrites okay OP ?

Originally posted by skepticconwatcher
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Uh yeah. They slashed the waste and the fraud. They slashed money that was going to suits instead of patients. Yeah, that's right. They slashed it. I thought you righties wanted to cut cost ? You know , all that fiscal conservative crap ? Yeah. I knew that was all a front. I knew there was no such thing.

Most people here talk about burning it to the damn ground. Why would they be upset if Obama cut it? Shouldn't they be happy?

Or perhaps it's just because he doesn't have an R by his name. Lol, gotta love how right wing ATS has gone these days.

lets move 700 billion from entitlement "a"
over to entitlement "b"

and then call it a "cut"

nice try lefties

meanwhile we will still steal everyone money at or above the same rate as before.

Originally posted by skepticconwatcher
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Uh yeah. They slashed the waste and the fraud. They slashed money that was going to suits instead of patients. Yeah, that's right. They slashed it. I thought you righties wanted to cut cost ? You know , all that fiscal conservative crap ? Yeah. I knew that was all a front. I knew there was no such thing.

Oh and if you are really worried about Grand Ma and Grand Pa, take a look at Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney. Now they want to take away the whole darn thing and hand grand ma a coupon. A friggen coupon. So, let's make sure we get all irate about that so we don't look like putrid hypocrites okay OP ?

edit on 12-8-2012 by skepticconwatcher because: (no reason given)

Well let's find some supporting figures.

What "waste and the fraud" has actually been "slashed" ?

How does that compare to Ryan's plan?

I thought the coupons pay for an insurance policy ?

Does the "coupon value" equal the difference in cost that seniors pay now?

Costs like the SS deductions and the supplemental policy costs?

How much do seniors pay out of their SS checks now?

Originally posted by xuenchen


I thought the coupons pay for an insurance policy ?

The Insurance companies are not obligated to take the vouchers therefore it is worthless.

From a less partisan source:

Obama envisions spending cuts in Medicare and Medicaid of $480 billion through 2023. Those are in addition to the $500 billion in reductions over 10 years from projected increases in Medicare spending contained in the health care law Congress passed and Obama signed last year.

The president's planned health care reductions include vague proposals to lower Medicaid costs and reduce Medicare prescription drug expenses.

Source

I'm failing to see the real problem here - even if our numbers don't quite jibe... Cutting deficits is a good thing. Right? There is more, unspecified cutting involved:

The proposal calls for cutting $770 billion from non-defense domestic spending by 2023. That figure does not include spending on major benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. The plan also would reduce defense spending by $400 billion during the same 12 years.

But, unfortunately, it doesn't say where it's coming from.

Personally I'd love to see everyone in Washington take a pay cut, lose their perks down to the level than an average upper middle classed worker would enjoy - and take some responsibility for their previous fiscal irresponsibility on both sides of the isle.

Whatever the case talking billions when we're facing trillions is like offering your landlord twenty bucks as a substitute for your eight hundred dollar rent... just a drop in the bucket.

~Heff

Originally posted by antonia

Originally posted by xuenchen


I thought the coupons pay for an insurance policy ?

The Insurance companies are not obligated to take the vouchers therefore it is worthless.

that's interesting.

where can i find any specifics about that?

reply to post by Hefficide


Apparently the Congressional Budget Office issued a report a few weeks ago.

article (maybe biased?)

..... a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report updated the amount of money Obamacare robs out of Medicare from $500 billion to a whopping $716 billion between 2013 and 2022.

According to the CBO, the payment cuts in Medicare include:

A $260 billion payment cut for hospital services.

A $39 billion payment cut for skilled nursing services.

A $17 billion payment cut for hospice services.

A $66 billion payment cut for home health services.

A $33 billion payment cut for all other services.

A $156 billion cut in payment rates in Medicare Advantage (MA); $156 billion is before considering interactions with other provisions. The House Ways and Means Committee was able to include interactions with other provisions, estimating the cuts to MA to be even higher, coming in at $308 billion.

$56 billion in cuts for disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments.* DSH payments go to hospitals that serve a large number of low-income patients.

$114 billion in other provisions pertaining to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP* (does not include coverage-related provisions).

*Subtract $25 billion total between DSH payments and other provisions for spending that was cut from Medicaid and CHIP.

In total, Obamacare raids Medicare by $716 billion from 2013 to 2022. Despite Medicare facing a 75-year unfunded obligation of $37 trillion, Obamacare uses the savings from the cuts to pay for other provisions in Obamacare, not to help shore up Medicare’s finances.

Obamacare Robs Medicare of $716 Billion to Fund Itself

Originally posted by skepticconwatcher
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Uh yeah. They slashed the waste and the fraud. They slashed money that was going to suits instead of patients. Yeah, that's right. They slashed it. I thought you righties wanted to cut cost ? You know , all that fiscal conservative crap ? Yeah. I knew that was all a front. I knew there was no such thing.

Oh and if you are really worried about Grand Ma and Grand Pa, take a look at Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney. Now they want to take away the whole darn thing and hand grand ma a coupon. A friggen coupon. So, let's make sure we get all irate about that so we don't look like putrid hypocrites okay OP ?

edit on 12-8-2012 by skepticconwatcher because: (no reason given)

The Right sure hates it when the fat-cat "suits" get the cuts!

But the Right is ALL FOR IT when the cuts have to come from the average American though. But dont cut ANYTHING that goes to the fat-cat "suits" or the Right gets FURIOUS!! We cant have the fat-cats getting any cuts, OH NO, NO, NO says the Right!

The Right is full of pathetic SOULLESS scum.

Originally posted by antonia

Originally posted by xuenchen

I thought the coupons pay for an insurance policy ?

The Insurance companies are not obligated to take the vouchers therefore it is worthless.

Here is some possible interpretations....

.......
Factcheck.org and the Kaiser Family Foundation have breakdowns of the Ryan’s “Path To Prosperity” plan from March 2012.

Under Ryan’s plan, seniors currently in Medicare stay in the existing system. But in 2023, people over 65 would pick an insurance plan in a new Medicare exchange system, with Medicare competing with other insurers for their business.

The government would send money, called a premium-support payment, directly to the insurer picked by the consumer.

If the consumer picks a plan more expensive than the government premium payment they receive, the consumer must pay the difference out of pocket. If the consumer picks a cheaper plan, they pocket the difference in the form of a rebate check.............

Understanding Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform plan in three minutes

Worthless ?

I would interpret "worthless" as worthless to the administrative corruption that now exists !!

I point out however that all plans by all sides seem to be catering to the big insurance companies in some form or another

A 100% government run insurance plan might be unconstitutional

As it is, Medicare and Medicaid are generally "administrated" by contractors

As it is, Medicare and Medicaid are generally "administrated" by contractors

By 2011, new Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will replace Medicare contractors. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contract with insurance companies nationwide to evaluate, process and pay over 1 billion Medicare claims each year. Medicare contractors who operate under insurance companies use national and local coverage regulations and policies to determine what is "reasonable and medically necessary" for paying claims.


Medicare Contractors

There are two types of Medicare contractors. The "fiscal intermediaries" process part A claims for health care facilities. The "carriers" process part B claims for physicians. Here's the problem: Carriers were contracted with one insurance company, and fiscal intermediaries were contracted with a different insurance company. So for one jurisdiction part A claims were submitted to one insurance company and part B claims were submitted to a different insurance company. In 2001 the General Accounting Office identified problems associated with the processing activities of claims and payments. Congress took action to reform Medicares contracting methods.


Medicare Reform Act

In December 2003, Congress passed a law requiring the CMS to reforms its contracting methods for processing Medicare part A and B claims. The CMS is replacing all Medicare Contractors (23 fiscal intermediaries and 17 carriers) with 23 MACs under new insurance companies that will be responsible for processing all Medicare claims for payment.


New Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs)

By the end of 2011 all of the jurisdictions will be fully transitioned to new MACs. This will provide a one-stop shop to ensure a smoother and more accurate process from claims to payments, and to better serve providers and beneficiaries. The new A/B MAC list by jurisdiction is located in the resource section.

What Is a Medicare Contractor?

Medicare Contractor Jurisdictions Maps


23 New Medicare Administrative Contractors Replace Medicare’s Current Contracts


And we know that Social Security takes money from the checks to help pay for Medicare.
BUT:

WASHINGTON - That didn't last long. About 55 million Social Security recipients will get their first increase in benefits next year since 2009 — a 3.6 percent raise. But higher Medicare premiums could erase a big chunk of it.

For some, higher Medicare Part B premiums could wipe out as much as a fourth of their raise from Social Security, according to projections by the trustees who oversee the programs.

Medicare is expected to announce 2012 Part B premiums as early as next week. The premiums, which cover doctor visits, are deducted automatically from monthly Social Security payments......
Medicare costs to offset Social Security hike

What is the best "compromise" ?

PPACA ObamaCare Medicare ?

Medicare

ObamaCare cuts a half-trillion dollars from Medicare over the next decade. These cuts are unsustainable and will lead to a reduction in the quality of care for seniors who rely on the program to secure access to needed medical services. The cuts in Medicare Advantage will impose steep costs on millions of Medicare beneficiaries, and will fall disproportionately on low income and minority seniors.
source

Another consideration: $716 Billion to Fund Itself

reply to post by HangTheTraitors

The Right sure hates it when the fat-cat "suits" get the cuts!

But the Right is ALL FOR IT when the cuts have to come from the average American though. But dont cut ANYTHING that goes to the fat-cat "suits" or the Right gets FURIOUS!! We cant have the fat-cats getting any cuts, OH NO, NO, NO says the Right!

The Right is full of pathetic SOULLESS scum.

"A" for effort and dedication !!

For your reading pleasure and continuing education:

The Path to Prosperity: A Blueprint For American Renewal

Ryan Plan pdf

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reply to post by Hefficide

Personally I'd love to see everyone in Washington take a pay cut, lose their perks down to the level than an average upper middle classed worker would enjoy - and take some responsibility for their previous fiscal irresponsibility on both sides of the isle.

Dunno about you, but prettymuch all middle class people I knew, did not get medical coverage from their jobs. They had to get their own, if they could afford it after paying rent, food, clothes and transportation. Which meant most went without.

reply to post by xuenchen


What the moron in the white house is doing is slashing medicare for the elderly that already are stress out of having to come out with out of pocket expenses once their yearly quotas are finished due to the cost of medications.

Because the supreme court rule that the fed can not expand medicare to lower the age requirement now the fed is getting at the states with cuts.

This is nothing but more crap coming from Obamacare, most elderly on SS have to pay into medicare regardless my parents are deducted 200 dollars each from their SS benefits to pay for medicare.

So as you can see is a big joke as Obamacare is still screwing the elderly and now cutting more on the benefits even when they pay for it.

Is nothing free in Obamacare and people are going to get it finally when it hit home.