Ryan turns knife on Medicare, Medicaid

[cschwab]

By Margaret Flowers, MD
FireDogLake, April 6, 2011

Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican chairman of the U.S. House Budget Committee, unveiled two proposals this week which if enacted would constitute a mortal threat to our nation

[cschwab]

I'll add when my daughter was getting dialysis I noticed it was my private insurance that was getting gouged and Medicare that looked like it was holding down costs - now this Ryan fellow wants take the same sick dysfunctional system that isn't working for the rest of us and shove it on our seniors!  Isn't that the definition of insanity?  "Insanity is defined as repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result"

[angieskidney]

I'll add when my daughter was getting dialysis I noticed it was my private insurance that was getting gouged and Medicare that looked like it was holding down costs - now this Ryan fellow wants take the same sick dysfunctional system that isn't working for the rest of us and shove it on our seniors!  Isn't that the definition of insanity?  "Insanity is defined as repeating the same behavior and expecting a different result"

Ah yes I first heard that quote from an American but it seems like the American health care system and government is known for doing exactly that but just rewording things to sound new and better.

[cschwab]

At least the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office isn't being snowed:

Long-Term Analysis of a Budget Proposal by Chairman Ryan

Congressional Budget Office
April 5, 2011

A private health insurance plan covering the standardized benefit would, CBO estimates, be more expensive currently than traditional Medicare. Both administrative costs (including profits) and payment rates to providers are higher for private plans than for Medicare. Those higher costs would be offset partly but not fully by savings from lower utilization stemming from two sources. First, private health insurers would probably impose greater utilization management than occurs in Medicare. Second, private plans might restrict enrollees