pahgre, you were given specific questions that should be answered with ease and yet as usual you chose the low road of partisan blather, crisism and deflection. If you cannot explain the plan offered by the DEms, any plan, and have only critisism for the republicans and their PLAN, then you have absolutely nothing of any importance to say. In other words it's time to go fishing, remember to stop at the mail for your monthly check, bait is expensive.
@pahgre, for all your partisan blather, how much have you actually researched the health care system in this country or other countries? You seem to believe government health insurance, meaning controlled, provided, and perhaps even health care government controlled and provided is the cure all. You are wrong, nothing is the cure all and every nation has problems with its health care system, including lack of coverage (none covers everything for everybody), costs and funding. We need a solution, not political pandering.
The biggest block to finding solutions to our nations problem is that people as well as politicians and special interest groups are more focused on the politics of the problem and solutions then on the actual problem and solutions.
Fraud monitoring is considered an administrative expense by private insurers. Building purchases and maintainence, and all other kinds of costs such as taxes the government programs push off to other departments or don't have are as well. That is why the administrative costs of government programs cannot be directly compared to private plans.
Medicare and social security are BANKRUPT, the Dems have no plan, Obama has no plan, they is in re-election/campaign mode, the republican plan has merit but the country is "wary" because the Dems and the press demagogue it with one liners like "it will throw grandma under the bus". All this administratiobn has accomplished is increasing the debt with programs that are ineffective and simply kick the can down the road for the next group and our grandchildren to deal with. The dems and OBAMA in hindsite have been impotent and continue to be spineless, it's all about re-election, nothing more.
The republicans don't have a VIABLE plan either. Are you another one of those right wingers with a short attention span, forgetting that we are in this economic mess because of delusional republican economic policies. If you are an average American worker and vote republican you are just plain stupid. The republicans don't give a damn about the middle class, they represent the rich and corporations. Corporations and the banking industry have a strangle hild on the republicans. They weren't going to give you a tax break unless the rich got a break. Pawlenty wants to lower the tax rate for the richest from 35% to 25% and lower the rate for corporations to 15%. You OK with that?
First thing that should be done is a flat across the board 20% pay cut for "ALL" of Congress,Then a 5 year pay freeze for them after that.They all need to cut jobs on their staff by 20%..Why do they need so many assistants...If we "middle" class have to take a few hits..Then those who represent us should lead the way.. Medicare reform needs to happen but not at the expense of those who are seniors now..They deserve what they paid into..
There are advantages to the Ryan plan, as well as disadvantages, just as there are advantages and disadvantages to the current system. The Ryan plan can be used as a good place to start the discussion on what is needed, and revolve from there. As I see it, medicare could be turned into a system with more options and choice by allowing private health care a place while still providing the guarantees and regulation that only the government can provide. Beyond that, I find it is often the normal everyday people, the people of this country that have more common sense and idea of what is needed.
@your-one-king, yes it does have to be paid for, either way. I just prefer we pay for the way that benefits the recipient most. Anyhow, I tend to think we need to move away from our current tax system to something more simplified, a national sales tax, flat tax or something. More information is needed, and people need to talk and consider, and we need to get politics and agendas out of it, and consider what is best for people and the country for a change.
@your-one-king, it has to be paid for either way, I prefer we pay for a system the benefits the people most. I do believe we should get away from income tax to either a flat tax or national sales tax or such. We need more information, but without the political influence so much of our information contains, only then we can discuss and make the best choices.
@pahgre, your comment is incoherent. Not only is it impossible who you are referring to as "little princess", but no one seems to be advocating that health care be taken away from anyone. I imagine alot of Congresses approved spending for many administrations of "trillions" on defense, depending on the years and how long they served, as well as what is included in defense.
"...And since I have been paying into Medicare since it's inception I take a very dim view of anyone suggesting that money should now be parsed out to me to go find another insurer. I was forced to buy into this system and I now expect to recieve the benefits I was promised."
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AOCGUY, unfortunately for your desire "to recieve the benefits I was promised" it has to deal with an ugly reality. The people who made you(us) the promise of receiving the benefits after a lifetime of paying into the system are politicians. And no politician I've EVER met or heard of, bless their black flabby little hearts, has never met a dollar that they haven't figured out three different ways to spend. The result of any politicians desire to please as many people as possible (and thus get re-elected) is a host of promises that are impossible to keep and spending money we don't have. And when (as is now the case) the pipers' bills start coming due politicians have no qualms about breaking any previous promises made, changing the rules, and then continuing on to repeat the same mistakes again, and again, and...
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"TEE TIME"
We need a solution, not political pandering.
Medicare simply needs better fraud monitoring, which is its only real problem. (Seems the government is incapable of monitoring fraud.)
Medicare reform needs to happen but not at the expense of those who are seniors now..They deserve what they paid into..
The Ryan plan can be used as a good place to start the discussion on what is needed, and revolve from there. As I see it, medicare could be turned into a system with more options and choice by allowing private health care a place while still providing the guarantees and regulation that only the government can provide.
Beyond that, I find it is often the normal everyday people, the people of this country that have more common sense and idea of what is needed.
"...And since I have been paying into Medicare since it's inception I take a very dim view of anyone suggesting that money should now be parsed out to me to go find another insurer. I was forced to buy into this system and I now expect to recieve the benefits I was promised."
---------------------------------------------------------------
AOCGUY, unfortunately for your desire "to recieve the benefits I was promised" it has to deal with an ugly reality. The people who made you(us) the promise of receiving the benefits after a lifetime of paying into the system are politicians. And no politician I've EVER met or heard of, bless their black flabby little hearts, has never met a dollar that they haven't figured out three different ways to spend. The result of any politicians desire to please as many people as possible (and thus get re-elected) is a host of promises that are impossible to keep and spending money we don't have. And when (as is now the case) the pipers' bills start coming due politicians have no qualms about breaking any previous promises made, changing the rules, and then continuing on to repeat the same mistakes again, and again, and...