Obama's Medicare Dodge

[NorthCarolina]

By Craig Crawford | May 12, 2009 6:00 AM

While President Barack Obama courts the health care industry his administration is distancing itself from big labor's plan to expand Medicare. In a round of interviews on Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius completely ruled out making Medicare available to more Americans as part of the president's health reform package.

But that is exactly what one of Obama's staunchest campaign supporters, the AFL-CIO, is calling for. The labor giant's retiree advocates, the Alliance for Retired Americans, is observing Older Americans Month (May) on its website by urging the federal government to lower Medicare eligibility to age 55 from age 65, the current floor for accessing the government-sponsored program.

If Obama were not trying to please private industry, the labor union's plan would make the most sense. The trouble with expanding Medicare is that such a move diminishes the market share for private insurance companies.

Read the entire posting here: http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/trailmix/2009/05/obamas-medicare-dodge.html

[MarjorieG]

1. With Congress nixing the money needed for public option, Medicare costs biggest entitlement chunk,

what is Obama to do short-term? Also, bringing down private costs essential.

[Captain Hilts]

2. That's a really interesting article. nt

[NorthCarolina]

3. It appears that Private Insurance is driving the Health Care Reform bus n/t

[snowdays]

5. and no doubt they will end up actually writing most of any so-called "reform"!!

[snowdays]

4. says Pres. Obama is ovoiding 'corporate opposition" Yes he is...

....
Expanding Medicare, while possibly the best solution for average Americans, would ignite corporate opposition that Obama apparently wishes to avoid.

[tomp]

7. if you're not courting corporate opposition...

...you're not doing shit. obama is not doing shit for health care. those of you who want to see him re-elected in 2012 might want to whisper in his ear that i won't vote for him if he keeps this shit up.

[snot]

6. k & r'd

[Eyerish]

8. K&R