Tag: Medicare

Coronavirus economy drains Social Security, Medicare coffers

Pandemic “is going to make things worse faster” for already troubled trust funds, experts say

Call it another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Social Security and Medicare trust funds, already in ill health, are about to become sicker from the coronavirus. The economic recession triggered by the pandemic means a drop in payroll tax revenues that finance the trust funds.

While projections vary and remain highly uncertain, economists and policy analysts across the ideological spectrum say the trust funds are now likely to deplete their reserves at a quicker pace than they would have before the pandemic hit. The net effect could shave years off the time lawmakers have to find a financial fix for the trust funds before they become insolvent. Continue reading.

On The Trail: Democrats plan to hammer Trump on Social Security, Medicare

The Hill logoDemocrats are dusting off a well-worn playbook as they prepare to launch their campaign against President Trump, revisiting a debate over entitlement spending that is almost as old as the social programs that make up so much of the nation’s budget.

The plan to accuse Trump of plotting a raid on Social Security and Medicare has worked for both Democrats and Republicans before. Recalling those old battles offers a hint of what Americans will see on their television screens and in their mailboxes this year, ahead of November’s presidential election.

Trump himself handed Democrats the tools they will use to warn of his future actions. In an interview last month on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump told CNBC anchor Joe Kernen that cutting entitlement programs would be an option if he wins a second term. Continue reading.

Would Medicare-for-all mean hospitals for none?

Washington Post logo“If you go to every hospital in this country and you ask them one question, which is, ‘How would it have been for you last year if every one of your bills were paid at the Medicare rate?’ Every single hospital administrator said they would close. And the Medicare-for-all bill requires payments to stay at current Medicare rates. So to some extent, we’re supporting a bill that will have every hospital closing.”

— Former congressman John Delaney, at a Democratic presidential candidate debate, Miami, June 26, 2019

In a crowded stage featuring many candidates who support Medicare-for-all, Delaney stood out with a doomsday prediction that it would force all hospitals to close.

Shifting the U.S. health-care industry to a single-payer system such as Medicare-for-all would be a huge endeavor, and it’s impossible to foresee every potential consequence. But we couldn’t find any expert or research study supporting the former Maryland congressman’s claim that Medicare-for-all would cause widespread hospital closures.

This is a good case study in how a snappy talking point can stray far from reality, especially when it comes to a complex policy issue such as health care. Let’s dig in.

View the complete July 3 article by Salvador Rizzo on The Washington Post website here.

Republicans Run On Fear, Democrats Run On Protecting Health Care, Medicare & Social Security

Democrats have a clear message for Election Day: they are running to protect health care, Social Security and Medicare from Republican attempts to gut these vital programs. Republicans, on the other hand, have turned to a campaign strategy of fear and outright lies in order to get votes. The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

Democrats are running on protecting health care, Medicare, and Social Security from Republican attacks.

Yahoo News: “Democrats 2018: It’s the health care, stupid”

NBC News: “Democrats find new ways to talk about entitlement cuts in campaign’s closing days”

Washington Post: “As midterms near, Democrats accuse GOP of plotting to cut Medicare, Social Security”

Washington Examiner: “Democrats warn voters: The GOP is coming for your Social Security, healthcare”

Vox: “Half of 2018’s Democratic campaign ads are about health care”

Trump and Republicans are using fearmongering and lies to get votes.

CNN: “Trump’s midterm campaign of fear”

Washington Post: “Trump and Republicans settle on fear — and falsehoods — as a midterm strategy”

New York Times: “Trump and G.O.P. Candidates Escalate Race and Fear as Election Ploys”

MSNBC: “Trump, GOP look to stoke fear in base to goose election turnout”

Toronto Star: “Donald Trump’s strategy as midterms approach: lies and fear-mongering”

DNC on McConnell Confirming Republican Goal to Cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security

In response to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saying the budget deficit increase is “disturbing” and suggesting cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security programs were the only way to pay for it, DNC spokesperson Daniel Wessel released the following statement:

“The deficit increase is ‘disturbing’ because of the trillion-dollar tax break Trump and Republicans gave to the rich and big corporations. The Trump tax law was always a scam, and now Republicans are suggesting taking seniors and middle-class families to the cleaners by gutting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security to help pay for it.

“Make no mistake: These vital programs are on the ballot this November. The only thing left for Americans to do is vote.”

Abandoning Any Pretense of Fiscal Responsibility, Republican Leader Calls for Cuts to Social Security and Medicare to Pay for Trillion Dollar Tax Cut for the Ultra-Wealthy

‘At the end of the day, this is a question of priorities. The GOP continues to make it painfully clear that their first priority is to make the rich even richer, at the expense of the middle class.’

This morning, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg News what we’ve long suspected: the GOP’s only plan to address the ballooning federal deficit is to make deep and painful cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. His statement comes on the heels of yesterday’s announcement that the deficit has reached a six-year high of $779 billion, due largely to the trillion dollar tax cut for billionaires and wealthy corporations the GOP pushed through earlier this year.

Over 900,000 Minnesotans rely on Medicare for their health care coverage, and one-sixth of all Minnesotans receive Social Security benefits.

“The hypocrisy of Congressional Republicans is stunning,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “After years of hawkish attitudes about the federal deficit, Erik Paulsen and Jason Lewis threw those principles overboard and decided passing tax cuts for special interest donors was more important than balancing the federal budget. Now they want us to believe that the only way to solve their manufactured crisis is to slash programs that millions of Minnesotans rely on. Continue reading “Abandoning Any Pretense of Fiscal Responsibility, Republican Leader Calls for Cuts to Social Security and Medicare to Pay for Trillion Dollar Tax Cut for the Ultra-Wealthy”

Donald Trump wrongly says Social Security and Medicare are stronger

The following article by Jon GReenberg was posted on the PolitiFact website September 6, 2018:

President Donald Trump is rejecting the image of policy chaos and bitter staff infighting captured in the latest book by Washington Post editor Bob Woodward.

At a meeting with Kuwait’s leader Sheikh Al-Sabah, Trump called the book “fiction” and said in contrast to what it describes, no administration has gotten more done on tax cuts, deregulation and the courts than his. And the accomplishments don’t end there.

“We’re saving Medicare,” Trump said Sept. 5. “The Democrats want to destroy Medicare. If you look at what they’re doing, they’re going to destroy Medicare. And we will save it. We will keep it going. We’re making it stronger. We’re making Social Security stronger. We’re making our whole country stronger. So all you have to do is look at the achievements.”

View the complete article here.

DNC on Anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid

DNC Chair Tom Perez and DNC Seniors Council Chair Steve Regenstreif released the following statement celebrating the anniversary of Medicaid and Medicare:

“For over five decades, Medicaid and Medicare have been critical pillars of economic security for millions of American families. That’s why President Obama and Democrats strengthened these programs and expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act.

“Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have tried to roll back all of the progress we’ve made, pushing policies that would gut Medicaid, send premiums skyrocketing, strip health care from millions, and take away protections for people with pre-existing conditions. And they’re using the Trump tax bill, which adds nearly $2 trillion to the deficit, as an excuse to make deep cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and other vital programs.

“Democrats believe health care is a right for all, not a privilege for a wealthy few. That’s why our party led the fight to establish Medicaid and Medicare more than a half century ago. And we will continue to do everything in our power to protect these programs from Republican attacks, and strengthen them so every American has access to quality, affordable health care.”

As U.S. budget fight looms, Republicans flip their fiscal script

The following article by the Reuters Staff was posted on their website December 31, 2017:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The head of a conservative Republican faction in the U.S. Congress, who voted this month for a huge expansion of the national debt to pay for tax cuts, called himself a “fiscal conservative” on Sunday and urged budget restraint in 2018.

In keeping with a sharp pivot under way among Republicans, U.S. Representative Mark Meadows, speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” drew a hard line on federal spending, which lawmakers are bracing to do battle over in January. Continue reading “As U.S. budget fight looms, Republicans flip their fiscal script”