Reply #14: ??? [View All]

[Feanorcurufinwe]

"As you control costs you must expand coverage. We have expanded individuals covered as we have worked hard to restrain costs," Dean said.

I don't understand why you are posting this without a citation so that we can examine the context in which it was said. Was this in an interview? At a campaign rally? Did he whisper it at the breakfast table?

"As you control costs you must expand coverage. We have expanded individuals covered as we have worked hard to restrain costs," Dean said.

I take this to mean that Dean does not look at cost control as a means of lowering expenditures? It seems contradictory. On the one hand, Dean is saying he wants to limit the Medicare growth rate, but on the other hand, he is saying any success in cost control should be used to expand the number of individuals covered. Taken together, it sounds like less coverage for more people -- although only if the cuts he is advocating add up to less than the cost control benefit. If that condition is not met, it just means less coverage for fewer people.