Editorial
Truth and Lies About Medicare
Republican attacks on President Obama’s plans for Medicare are growing more heated and inaccurate by the day. Both Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan made statements last week implying that the Affordable Care Act would eviscerate Medicare when in fact the law should shore up the program’s finances.
Both men have also twisted themselves into knots to distance themselves
from previous positions, so that voters can no longer believe anything
they say. Last week, both insisted that they would save Medicare by
pumping a huge amount of money into the program, a bizarre turnaround
for supposed fiscal conservatives out to rein in federal spending.
The likelihood that they would stand by that irresponsible pledge after
the election is close to zero. And the likelihood that they would be
better able than Democrats to preserve Medicare for the future (through a
risky voucher system that may not work well for many beneficiaries) is
not much better. THE ALLEGED “RAID ON MEDICARE” A
Republican attack ad says that the reform law has “cut” $716 billion
from Medicare, with the money used to expand coverage to low-
income people who are currently uninsured. “So now the money you paid for your guaranteed health care is going to a massive new government program that’s not for you,” the ad warns.
income people who are currently uninsured. “So now the money you paid for your guaranteed health care is going to a massive new government program that’s not for you,” the ad warns.
What the Republicans fail to say is that the budget resolutions crafted
by Paul Ryan and approved by the Republican-controlled House retained
virtually the same cut in Medicare.
In reality, the $716 billion is not a “cut” in benefits but rather the
savings in costs that the Congressional Budget Office projects over the
next decade from wholly reasonable provisions in the reform law.
