Firedoglake: GOP to Introduce Measure Repealing Medicare and Medicaid

[marmar]

GOP to Introduce Measure Repealing Medicare and Medicaid
By: Peterr Wednesday June 10, 2009 2:10 pm



I have yet to see the official text of the bill, but it is clear that the GOP has decided that the four decade experiment called Medicare and Medicaid is over.

The headline on Orrin Hatch's Press Release says it all: "HATCH AND REPUBLICAN FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBERS IMPLORE OBAMA: NO GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTHCARE PLAN" (The shouting caps are Hatch's, not mine.)

I can't wait to see the details of the bill they will introduce to get the government out of the healthcare business. No Medicare. No Medicaid. No WIC. No support for clinics in rural areas. No VA hospitals. No military hospitals. And certainly no support for foreign hospitals and medical programs.

I'm sure the only holdup in submitting the bill is that the GOP can't decide whose name should be listed as the chief sponsor on the bill to repeal all these programs. But for the good of the country, I'm sure they will put aside their personal egos and submit their bill soon.

After all, what could be more sacred than the bond between a patient and his/her insurance company's accountants?


http://firedoglake.com/2009/06/10/gop-to-introduce-measure-repealing-medicare-and-medicaid/

[Liberal Veteran]

1. Well, duh....some of the old folks were still republican and they hadn't alienated them yet.

So they had to do something to make themselves even more irrelevant.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Would that include congress critters' GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTH CARE PLAN?

A$$hole$! :argh:

[DJ13]

3. The Republicans know to demand the outrageous to improve

the resulting compromise in their favor.

This is what the Democrats should have done in Congress, go for single payer from the start then force the Republicans to compromise down to a real public option in the end.

Now the Republicans are emboldened enough by the Democratic timidity to seek a complete elimination of Medicare and compromise up to leaving Medicare alone, but no public option in the end.

Our party has stupid leadership!

[BlueJazz]

4. I've always hoped that Insurance Companies would expand their service..

...and start helping the average shopper.

I could go into Sears and consider buying a Car Jack for say ,,um..$47.00.
The insurance people could be the "Go-between" and let me just give my money to them
(with an added $16.73 of course).
Everybody would benefit and I'd have my needed Jack.

[dmr]

12. You'd get jacked, alright

:rofl:

[BlueJazz]

14. LOL!

[tridim]

5. Well there goes 50% more of their "base". nt

[MadMaddie]

15. 50% I would say more

Those payments are all they have left to survive.

[notadmblnd]

6. why would a Dem majority even have to consider a bill like this?

[Fovea]

7. It's official- The Republican Party

has fallen out the Overton Window.

[colinmom71]

8. I say that Democratic party members should preempt them on this...

Introduce the same measure to Congress, and title it the "Medical Care Freedom for Seniors Now Dependent On Their Children For Health Care Act".

Then watch how quickly that lead balloon sinks. Medicare has actually been one of the most successful of the Depression era programs, and it's one of the most efficient. And of course never mind that Medicaid was designed to address public health threats, such as epidemics of communicable disease or infant mortality rates...

In an economy where families can barely or not at all afford to purchase health insurance, proposing that their parents now have no health coverage of any sort will turn people towards reconsidering public health policy.

[Wednesdays]

9. K&R

:kick:

[Rectangle]

10. Wow! Killing Medicare would be really poplular with Senior Citizens

wouldn't it?
That's what the R's need---to lose the senior vote!!! :crazy:

[Liberal In Texas]

11. Why don't they just go ahead and throw Social Security in there too?

Really piss everybody off and make even less of a chance it would ever see the light of day.

[Are_grits_groceries]

13. They are pissing off the wrong people.

A lot of people are holding on by the skin of their teeth with SS, Medicaid, and Medicare. I put my money on the older people.

I hear the clanking of pitchforks, and they are not coming for the Dems.

[cascadiance]

16. Boy are they trying to start having liberal terrorists going after them?

Maybe that's their motivation, so that it won't look like just freepers go out and shoot someone when they get upset.

Some people might just get up in arms literally over what they're proposing there! I certainly hope not, but I wonder what they're trying to accomplish doing this! I can't believe even some of their own GOP seniors are going to be happy with them doing this! When can we get these nimrods out of congress!

GOP =

[kirby]

17. If only the MSM would frame the debate this way...

Much less the Dems.

[DCKit]

18. "...the GOP can't decide whose name should be listed as the chief sponsor..."

Just list the GOP + the Blue Dogs in alphabetical order so we know who to vote against in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Oh, wait - We're supposed to be worried about boys kissing and shit, not who's destroying our country, trashing the Constitution and working for Corporate interests over their constituents.