Obama Offered To Raise Medicare Eligibility Age As Part Of Grand Debt Deal

[cal04]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/11/obama-medicare-eligibility-age_n_894833.html

In his press conference on Monday morning, President Barack Obama repeatedly insisted that he was willing to tackle some sacred cows as part of a larger package to raise the debt ceiling. Just how sacred, however, may surprise political observers.

According to five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations -- including both Republicans and Democrats -- the president offered an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republican movement on increasing tax revenues.

The proposal, as discussed, would not go into effect immediately, but rather would be implemented down the road (likely in 2013). The age at which people would be eligible for Medicare benefits would be raised incrementally, not in one fell swoop.

Sources offered varied accounts regarding the seriousness with which the president had discussed raising the Medicare eligibility age. As the White House is fond of saying, nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. And with Republicans having turned down a "grand" deal on the debt ceiling -- which would have included $3 trillion in spending cuts, including entitlement reforms, in exchange for up to $1 trillion in revenues -- it is unclear whether the proposal remains alive.

[xchrom]

1. Recommend - sigh. Nt

[DURHAM D]

2. In the words of Casey Anthony and Gomer Pyle -

Surprise Surprise

[ProSense]

3. "Sources offered varied accounts

regarding the seriousness with which the president had discussed raising the Medicare eligibility age. As the White House is fond of saying, nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to. And with Republicans having turned down a "grand" deal on the debt ceiling -- which would have included $3 trillion in spending cuts, including entitlement reforms, in exchange for up to $1 trillion in revenues -- it is unclear whether the proposal remains alive."


"The deal fell apart, in part, because Democrats demanded an upfront commitment from Republicans that they would allow the Bush-era tax cuts to be decoupled, rather than a commitment to revisit the issue at the end of 2013. According to a GOP official, that demand was interpreted as a way to simply drag out negotiations on comprehensive tax reform, as Democratic leadership would know full well that they had the fallback option of allowing taxes on upper income Americans to revert to pre-Bush rates."

Maybe Stein shouldn't quote anonymous GOP sources.

[former9thward]

11. Maybe all posters shouldn't quote anonymous GOP sources.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x707368

[ProSense]

13. Maybe so.

Still, an anonymous GOP source criticizing Boenher isn't the same as one claiming to represent the President's position accurately.

[former9thward]

22. Not its not. And actually I don't have a big thing about anonymous sources.

It is a discussion board and you can take stock in sources, anonymous or otherwise, as you wish.

[John Agar]

17. If it's a joke, it's not a very funny one.

I'm not that far from retirement age, and have some serious health problems.

[rocktivity]

4. Wouldn't LOWERING it bring in more tax revenues?

P.S. How does raising the age help?

:shrug:
rocktivity

[eShirl]

5. less people will be alive to go on it

[Harmony Blue]

That is their way of "fixing"

the "problem". So sad.

[Harmony Blue]

7. That is their way of "fixing"

the "problem". So sad.

[Bluerthanblue]

18. people work and contribute to it for longer before they

begin taking out?

[QC]

6. It justs more hopetastic by the minute, doesn't it? n/t

[bluestateguy]

8. I will require much more than anonymous sources before I take this claim seriously

As in two on the record sources.

Otherwise, I treat this as false.

[emulatorloo]

9. That sounds like a pretty rational approach

[jtown1123]

15. These are closed door discussions. No way would someone go on the record, Theyd lose their jobs

the White House knows this idea is a shit sandwich and they're trying to keep it under the radar. Wake up folks! This is our future we're talking about, better to cause a stink over a rumor than be cautious and let this proposal pass.

[msongs]

10. gee he could have offered medicare for all as a way of saving billions nt

[WI_DEM]

12. So now I have to retire at 67 so now I guess Medicare won't come until I'm 67, too.

[jtown1123]

14. Fuck this shit. People can barely make it to 65 to get their Medicare.

[katnapped]

19. That's the idea, of course

Dead people don't suck up resources! :sarcasm:

[KamaAina]

16. Lower it

to zero!

[xphile]

20. So he's offered to rob the American worker in order to make sure millionaires have

tax cuts? <sigh>

If I vote for a Democrat but keep getting Republican policies am I really voting for a Democrat?

[cal04]

21. Obama reportedly proposes raising Medicare eligibility age to 67

by David Nir
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/11/993488/-Obama-reportedly-proposes-raising-Medicare-eligibility-age-to-67?via=blog_1

From Sam Stein at The Huffington Post:

In his press conference on Monday morning, President Barack Obama repeatedly insisted that he was willing to tackle some sacred cows as part of a larger package to raise the debt ceiling. Just how sacred, however, may surprise political observers.

According to five separate sources with knowledge of negotiations — including both Republicans and Democrats — the president offered an increase in the eligibility age for Medicare, from 65 to 67, in exchange for Republican movement on increasing tax revenues.

The proposal, as discussed, would not go into effect immediately, but rather would be implemented down the road (likely in 2013). The age at which people would be eligible for Medicare benefits would be raised incrementally, not in one fell swoop.

Joe Lieberman recently proposed lifting the eligibility age to 67 as well. Paul Krugman summed it up well:
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/10/joe-liebermans-plan-to-make-health-care-worse-and-more-expensive/

That’s a truly cruel idea; as it happens, I know several people who are hanging on, postponing needed medical care, hoping that they can make it to 65 before something terrible happens. And if I know such people in my fairly sheltered social circles, just imagine how widespread such stories must be.

But beyond that, think about what it means to move people out of Medicare into private insurance, if they can get it.

Medicare has its problems — but all the evidence says that it is substantially more cost-effective than private insurance. Partly this is because it has lower administrative costs; partly it’s because Medicare is able to use its market power to negotiate lower prices. And the international evidence is overwhelming: single-payer systems are much cheaper than systems centered on private insurance.

So think of this as a national interest thing rather than a budget thing: Lieberman is proposing that we move a substantial number of older Americans into a worse, more expensive health care system. Why would you want to do such a thing, as opposed to raising enough additional revenue to keep them on Medicare?

Not only is this terribly policy, it's awful politics, too. Right now, we have an incredibly strong messaging advantage on Medicare, thanks to Ryan's Curse—something many Democrats realize. But the GOP won't hesitate for a second to accuse us of weakening or even wanting to destroy Medicare if we do something like reduce its availability. So not only would we risk getting killed at the ballot box, we'd be hurting countless vulnerable Americans who are desperate for Medicare coverage—and wind up making healthcare more expensive. That's a triple-whammy we simply don't need.

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[Ruby the Liberal]

23. 3:1? 3 in cuts to 1 in revenue?

Oh FFS. Get a damn negotiator in there. This is turning into a hostage situation and the players are all in over their heads.

[OverBurn]

24. If True, FUCK You Obama

My Dad and Mom are both 62. Dads a Union member, Bronze Star recipient in Vietnam and a Democrat. He had the time in to retire several years ago, but he can't get or afford health insurance for my Mother who has several major medical problems. They are both waiting for 65, I can't bare to see him have to work for another 2 years or more.

I voted for Obama as did both my Parents. I'm so mad and frustrated with the Repukes and the Dems that will not stand for what they claim they believe in. I wish their was a viable 3rd party that was really progressive, not just lip service.

Somedays I say to myself, just go ahead and let some crazy like Bachmann win and take the country down with her. I'm not sure the Country deserves saving anymore. Yes, I'm very disheartened.

[WillyT]

25. Yeah... Huh ???

:shrug: