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By Diane Webber
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is denying a published account claiming Republicans are preparing to ditch Rep. Paul Ryan’s ambitious plan to revamp Medicare in pursuit of a debt ceiling compromise with Democrats — but both sides have begun seeking common ground on oil subsidies, sources say.
The Washington Post reported late Wednesday that Cantor, highly influential with the party’s tea party wing, planned to abandon Rep. Paul Ryan’s controversial Medicare plan, but a spokesman for Cantor said his boss was quoted out of context — and the GOP is keeping a hard line.
“Eric made very clear that our position is the Ryan budget which — as you know — assumes a debt limit increase and includes Medicare, Medicaid and $715 billion in mandatory savings,” Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring told POLITICO. “Whether the Democrats will agree to the proposals we've outlined is yet to be seen, but that is our starting point so we don't continue to kick the can down the road and make real cuts and real reforms this year.”
That left Democratic negotiators, bracing for the start of bipartisan talks on Friday, befuddled.
The GOP and Democrats have agreed to a “target” of slashing oil subsidies but Democratic aides say they have seen no indication Cantor is dropping the Medicare restructuring.
Glenn Thrush contributed to this report.
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Deductive reasoning builds toward a conclusion while -----------
--- inductive assumes a conclusion and looks for buttressing proofs. Republican mantras cluster around inductive reasoning; give to the rich and you will be blessed; the poor in health will be blessed someday; greed is good; feed wealth and it will dribble down on us. Phooey on Republicanism.
Medicare and Medicaid Very Broken
I only see one little corner of this, the home-health piece, and only as the spouse of a medical professional who does home visits. After providing care in 5 or 6 homes throughout the day, the evening is spent completing 2-3 hours of 20-page gov't-required documents that likely other than some random auditor, no one will ever read. The 75-year old with a new hip working her butt off to get walking and taking care of herself again gets the same respect from the system as the diabetic ignoring their regimen and 200 lbs overweight or the 40-year smoker with one lung already gone. There has to be some provision for "NO!" in the system or there won't be enough money on the planet to pay the bills.
Wake up America
We can solve our ALL fiscal problems. Growing medical bills not only threaten Medicare and Medicaid. They are also swamping businesses large and small, state and local governments, defense. You name it.
The problem is not medical cost. It is medical profits. Insurance, Pharmaceuticals and Hospital corporations are all ridiculously profitable.
The answer is absolutely clear and works well in every other Western democracy - National Single Payer system - Medicare-for-all funded through taxes. One payer. No eligibility paperwork. Tort reform. Profit regulation (similar to utility companies).
No more obscene insurance profits that contribute nothing. USA drugs at world prices. Doctors doctoring. Paperwork slashed. Let's do it!
Stop hurting the middleclass!!!
I am 45 and have paid into Medicare for 25 years so keep your grubby hands off my money! Ryan is working for the insurance companies not the people! Notice they say nothing changing (for now) on those 55 and older, that's because it's a worse plan with worse coverage! Why doesn't Ryan and Cantor give up their cushy lifetime healthcare and get a voucher when they retire if it's so great? What happens when those voucher expires? Better hope you don't have something like a brain tumor...
Medicare
It's not Medicare that's the real problem. Artificially inflated medical service, equipment, and medicine costs are the smoke and mirrors that cost the government about a trillion dollars a year. Medicare, for example, pays a token portion of a medical charge, the consumer pays an even smaller token, and the medical billing group uses the largest portion of the bill as a business loss expense or tax write off deduction. Wake up Congress, go after the real abusers and not the patients.
Neighbor's mother died at
Neighbor's mother died at home beginning of last year with "Do Not Resuscitate" order in place. EMS picked up the body and took it to the hospital. Months later, the neighbor received Medicare statement for over $6,000 paid to the hospital for attempts to revive the mother who was clearly dead and not to be revived. After numerous attempts to get through to Medicare billing clerk, she finally got to a live clerk who responded "What do you care? It's not your money."
CYA
It was probably the hospital, trying to protect itself from lawsuits which would surely have come from someone who doesn't believe the "DNR" directive should be followed out. Just another example of why tort reform should be a consideration.
You do realize this has nothing to do with Medicare?
That the hospital attempted to resuscitate the woman was not a decision made or required by Medicare, but by the hospital. It was either a matter of poor record keeping, poor marking on the patient (no DNR bracelet) or an overly ambitious staff that acted without checking the records.
Medicare does not have people who sit in hospitals checking each patient as they come and go. They do audits, of course, but by and large they trust the hospitals to be honest. Your beef here is not with Medicare. It's with the hospital.
As with any third party
As with any third party payor system, providers learn to generate revenues to which they are not entitled. This does contribute in part to ever increasing healthcare costs. Indifference to such practices should not be expected of those charged with running the system. It affects Medicare just as it affects private insurance premiums.
I'd say it has quite a bit
I'd say it has quite a bit to do with Medicare. When fraud is specifically brought to the attention of those who administer the program, and they can't be bothered to pursue it. Is it a wonder that healthcare expense drive up the cost of coverage to us all?