Obama in weekly address: Republicans do indeed want to effectively end Medicare as we know it

[ProSense]

Obama in weekly address: Republicans do indeed want to effectively end Medicare as we know it

by Susan Gardner

Florida. Political convention. Republicans. A perfect opportunity for the President of the United States to discuss ….. Medicare. Bwwaaah.

Republicans in Congress have put forward a very different plan. They want to turn Medicare into a voucher program. That means that instead of being guaranteed Medicare, seniors would get a voucher to buy insurance, but it wouldn’t keep up with costs. As a result, one plan would force seniors to pay an extra $6,400 a year for the same benefits they get now. And it would effectively end Medicare as we know it.

President Barack Obama laid it out firm and clear in this morning's weekly address, drawing a stark contrast between Republicans plans for health care for seniors and his own quest to preserve and protect the Medicare program, most notably in the Affordable Care Act, affectionately known as "Obamacare."

And yeah, he said the Republican plan "would effectively end Medicare as we know it." He said quite a bit of other awesome stuff too, like how we keep our promises here in America:

It’s not about overheated rhetoric at election time. It’s about a promise this country made to our seniors that says if you put in a lifetime of hard work, you shouldn’t lose your home or your life savings just because you get sick.

And how the implication—which Democrats should make more often than they do—that this "entitlement" program is a hand-out is ... well, baloney. Screw that. Say it loud and say it clear:

Over the last 47 years, millions of Americans have worked for that promise. They’ve earned it.

Amen. And yeah, I very happily added the emphasis there.

And unlike those country club guys heading Tampa's way, he has a personal stake in these kinds of programs, he told listeners:

Growing up as the son of a single mother, I was raised with the help of my grandparents. I saw how important things like Medicare and Social Security were in their lives. And I saw the peace of mind it gave them.

And he finished off with a nice resounding "this is what America is all about" flourish:

Here in America, we believe in keeping our promises—especially to our seniors who have put in a lifetime of hard work and deserve to enjoy their golden years. That’s what Medicare is all about. That’s why we need to strengthen and preserve it for future generations. And as long as I have the honor of serving as your President, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

To read the pretty darn satisfying transcript in full, check below the fold or visit the White House website.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/25/1123927/-Obama-in-weekly-address-Republicans-do-indeed-want-to-effectively-end-Medicare-as-we-know-it

That’s why, as part of the Affordable Care Act, we gave seniors deeper discounts on prescription drugs, and made sure preventive care like mammograms are free without a co-pay. We’ve extended the life of Medicare by almost a decade. And I’ve proposed reforms that will save Medicare money by getting rid of wasteful spending in the health care system and reining in insurance companies – reforms that won’t touch your guaranteed Medicare benefits. Not by a single dime.

[burnsei sensei]

1. Remember that Medicare was not a Republican idea.

Neither was the New Deal. Republicans have always hated these initiatives, and they will do anything to get us back to the Gilded Age.
The Gilded Age was their glory time.
The time the rich could hoard gold and treasure and watch the desperation of the impoverished.
The only people who gave a damn were the middle-class progressives, who started to understand that an urban nation required different policies and a different understanding of resources.
Medicare was instituted because the old cannot buy insurance on the open market.
They cannot buy it because as a risk, they are invariably hazardous. To be infirm, to be physically weakened is endemic to the condition of growing old.
Therefore, beware of any market-oriented solution to the problem of Medicare. It will mean that the elderly will be medically neglected on a MASSIVE SCALE. Just as they were before Medicare.
Take account of everything, but forget history AT YOUR PERIL.
Your amnesia is what Romney/Ryan are counting on.

[ProSense]

2. Kick for

saving Medicare.