Video: Obama says we’re not proposing cuts to Medicare
posted at 4:20 pm on July 29, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
During Monday’s AARP town hall meeting on health care reform, Barack Obama tried to allay the fears of senior citizens by insisting that he would not cut Medicare benefits as part of his reforms. “No one is talking” about cuts to Medicare benefits, Obama insisted:
Well, no one is talking about it … except Barack Obama, apparently. Just a few weeks ago, Obama outlined cuts to Medicare that add up to over $300 billion in reductions. Obama claims that he meant to trim waste, but how exactly did he define waste, anyway?
President Barack Obama Saturday proposed an additional $313 billion in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and other programs to pay for health care reforms expected to cost about $1 trillion over the next decade. …
About $110 billion of the new cuts would come from reducing scheduled increases in Medicare payments. That would encourage health care providers to increase productivity, White House budget director Peter Orszag told reporters.
Obama also proposed cutting payments to hospitals to treat uninsured patients by $106 billion on the assumption those ranks would decline as health care reforms phase in.
An additional $75 billion would come from “better pricing of Medicare drugs,” Orszag said, adding the White House was in talks with stakeholders over the best way to do that.
The remaining $22 billion in proposed cuts would come from smaller reforms, such as adjusting payment rates for physician imaging services and cutting waste, fraud and abuse.
I’m not sure which school of economics Orszag and Obama attended, but cutting payments to providers won’t incentivize them to “increase productivity.” It will push them to take fewer Medicare patients. If they don’t get paid enough to provide the services, which is what the AMA has steadfastly argued and why more providers refuse to take Medicare patients, reducing the existing payments means that fewer Medicare patients can access care and will have their choices reduced.
Those who participate in the Medicare Advantage program, and who pay premiums to join, would normally have better options for seeking care, as the public-private partnership works to coordinate benefits and get better and more reliable payments to providers. Unfortunately, the millions of people in MA will also be out of luck. Obama’s message to seniors who use the program to get some rational coverage is this: choose between Medicare and private insurance, but you can’t have both. And good luck in finding an insurer who will replace Medicare for seniors and the disabled, pal!
It’s a shockingly dishonest performance, and a good look into the ObamaCare future for America’s seniors and the middle-aged voters who will join them soon.
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KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:27 AM
You got flattery down, Romeo. lol
Nice..taking the pups out?
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:29 AM
Match Box 20-blast from the past.
Reminds me of college.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:32 AM
I don’t do drugs, I am drugs.
–Dali :)
. . .
meh, ok, score. :)
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:32 AM
Love…a game??
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:32 AM
I like how you roll….Sue me!
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:34 AM
That was grrreat! By the way – someone further up the thread called Ken “stupid”….I need to straighten this out:
Ken is NOT stupid!
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 1:35 AM
NO! I JUST DON’T WANT ANYONE SITTING ON HER!
O wait, those weren’t related.
My bad.
Carry on.
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:35 AM
Who said Ken was stupid?
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:37 AM
Didn’t catch that. Thanks for the correction. Troll?
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:38 AM
I like how you roll….Sue me!
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:34 AM
I like how you roll too.
You seem like a good man.
Who called you stupid?
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:38 AM
Here and now
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:39 AM
They are kind of “cracker-jacky” – but muuuuch, muuuch better
Popcorny, peanuty…..with a lot more “buttery” in the glazing plus………something Else!
Sweet and Substantial!
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 1:39 AM
Dunno? Figured I could scroll back and find out or spend time with you. Who is stupid? ;-)
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:41 AM
Screaming Trees – All I Know
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:42 AM
lol
– jiggles ear.
I just heard that a minute ago. Weird.
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:43 AM
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:41 AM
hahahahaha..not u! (:
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:45 AM
B9??
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:46 AM
there you are!
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:47 AM
Speaking of Hussein’s corrupt tax cheating financiers not paying their fair share ,
(Via Drudge, in RED)
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article1261720.ece
burrata on May 19, 2013 at 1:49 AM
Whitesnake – Judgement Day
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:50 AM
No – wimped out….worked
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 1:52 AM
No – wimped out….worked
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 1:52 AM
:(
Next time!
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:52 AM
Drops of Jupiter
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:53 AM
….you know what? i can’t find it, now………
I thought I scanned by it earlier…….but I may have dreamed it………
……or maybe there IS such a thing as “flashbacks”………
……sorry……….
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 1:55 AM
Whitesnake – Judgement Day
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:50 AM
Perfect..
Fits for me right now.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:56 AM
Shimmer
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:57 AM
Staying up for Ken..maybe for axe and Will too.
Dang..everyone bailed out early.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 1:58 AM
One of my guilty pleasures to like this song so much…….pop with heart!
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 1:59 AM
Sure did. I have staying power…
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 1:59 AM
That’s not what I meant. :)
Here’s the first time I ever read “I’d go and do that, but I want to be with you” –
And I meant it. :)
Here’s the second:
lol — And I Romeo meant it too. :)
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 1:59 AM
It is a quality jam!
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 2:00 AM
*And I bet Romeo . . .
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Meanwhile, a man who did more to get Bin Laden than Obama sits in prison… thanks to Obama.
profitsbeard on May 19, 2013 at 2:02 AM
Hair band
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 2:02 AM
you’re so sweet!……..
ALL the dudes Love you – they think you’re the COOLEST!…..and they’re RIGHT!
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 2:03 AM
Everyone loves B9. How can I stand out?
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 2:05 AM
I don’t know, man …….maybe the answer is in the video somewhere…….
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 2:07 AM
Reel men eat doritoes.
SparkPlug on May 19, 2013 at 2:09 AM
Callin it a night. Gonna hitch a ride home.
KCB on May 19, 2013 at 2:10 AM
Reel men like fishing and filming.
SparkPlug on May 19, 2013 at 2:10 AM
lol!
No..not everyone loves B9.
But those with good taste do. ;)
Blush*
So sweet..thank you sincerely-guys.
Your pretty cool yourselves.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 2:10 AM
*crrr-unch!*
williamg on May 19, 2013 at 2:10 AM
– I’m out. I may be awhile. I may be ready to finish up my nuclear poof. I’ve never nuclear poofed without actually nuclear poofing, but something happened, and I lost my balance. I’ve got it back. I dunno how. I dunno how I lost it. I just work here, man. Anyway, this may be awhile.
– Note that I will be missing witchy-woman. She’s trying to change the world, you know. Mostly, she comes here to work. Anyone notices this, please try to help — I won’t be around to cross link. Probably. For awhile.
Well maybe Axe enjoyed you around. :)
Night guys. :)
(Night Sophie.)
Axe on May 19, 2013 at 2:10 AM
Okay, I am out too.
xoxo to y’all.
Have a blessed Sunday.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 2:11 AM
Bye sugar muffins. Lets have waffles for breakfast. I’ll bring the agave.
SparkPlug on May 19, 2013 at 2:15 AM
Tell Twerp I went fly fishing but didn’t catch any flies.
SparkPlug on May 19, 2013 at 2:15 AM
I blame those who take their bait more than I blame the attention-seeking trolls for the pollution created here – the trolls can only accomplish what they are enabled to…
Listen to Scrumpdillyicious: do narcissistic, amoral leftist scum like HAL and D(Bag)Bear ever listen, ever think, ever say anything interesting, or ever respectfully disagree?
Does anyone deny that such abusive retards are only as intelligent/wise & observant as wildebeesties #1 & #3 here? http://i.minus.com/ithiNL6EF0Y8R.gif
Why continue to circularly bicker with them? Don’t try saying that doing so makes HA a more enjoyable place to be!
Anti-Control on May 19, 2013 at 3:23 AM
Alright, who left the dang door open, there’s gonna be trolls all over this place today, Sparkplug if your the one who did it, there’s gonna be trouble……………..;-)
angrymike on May 19, 2013 at 5:10 AM
Oh, and I haven’t seen Jackie in a while, if anyone sees this tell her I said howdy, and really miss her wit…………..;-)
angrymike on May 19, 2013 at 5:16 AM
Probably good advice, but sometimes difficult to follow. It’s their cowardice which galls, safely anonymous, they will spew things that they never would if face to face at a park, in a bar, at a family function.. because hate filled stupid has consequences in real life.. but not on the web..
I’ll bite though, and personally pledge to try harder, much harder to just ignore them..
Tough though.. I’m a counter puncher by nature.
mark81150 on May 19, 2013 at 5:31 AM
My response at the Post:
Well written synopsis on Mr. Balz’ part with one glaring exception/assumption on his part—”That Obama knew nothing about it”. Unless Mr. Balz is a mind-reader, this is a bold statement not supported by any facts, and based on the obvious denials from the administration. Hard to believe (in totality) that even when Democratic leaders were calling for IRS investigations into conservative organizations, that Obama “knew nothing”. In fact, with all the controversial (and possible illegal actions in several departments), it’s utterly amazing how many of them, (department heads) claim to know absolutely NOTHING about what’s going on right under their noses. If President Obama has chosen to “look the other way” to insure plausible deniability, Mr. Balz could have phrased the statement “That Mr. Obama claims to know nothing”, which would be factually correct. Big difference than what Mr. Balz has assumed to be a fact.
Rovin on May 19, 2013 at 6:13 AM
I am of the position that this kind of exercise is truly only as difficult as a person thinks it is. I will also throw out, “practice makes perfect.”
I understand what you are saying, and I hope you know that I am not personally attacking people like you – I’m just constructively reminding you how utterly stupid and childish the leftards on the other ends of these conversations are, and how non-seriously their baiting insults should be taken. :)
Oblivious morons like HAL are the equivalent of attention-starved drug addicts who are abusively in denial, and indulging their asininity wastes the time of all involved parties. Circular, pointless bickering with them only ends up getting ourselves dirty when there is no good reason for us to allow that to happen.
Since you are a counterpuncher who might appreciate this, to grasp my idea of what to and what not to do counterpunching-wise with ever-sucking blackholish trolls like HAL, look at fellow counterpuncher Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight vs Cotto and compare it stylistically to his more recent fight with Guerrero. Against Cotto, he failed to properly utilize his superior defensive talent/advantage, and ended up getting tagged far too much. As a smart boxer, he realized this mistake before he fought Guerrero, and masterfully corrected the error.
Anti-Control on May 19, 2013 at 6:29 AM
And who do you think those shareholders are? If you say “rich evil conservatives”, you be wrong. A very large number of PENSIONS are invested in the oil industry because its a good stable, long-term investment… perfect for pension funds. But what I want to know is why you hate retired teachers, firefighters and police? Why should government bureaucrats get that “fair share” tax money instead of retirees who worked hard all their lives serving others? Why do you worship government, and hate hard workers?
Also, oil companies pay far higher percentages in taxes than other companies. If you want fair, then what you want is a flat tax system where everyone pays the same percent. But I suspect what you really want is more tax UN-fairness.
dominigan on May 19, 2013 at 7:19 AM
It’s the machine behind Obama that’s well oiled and clever not Obama. He is not an elite politician but a bumbling puppet. He is not clever without his prompter so who do you credit now, him or the people that program the prompter? Articles like this are an insult to the intelligence of most people praising the narcissist who credits himself with intelligence and is deaf to anyone not in agreement with him.
mixplix on May 19, 2013 at 8:23 AM
Ryun was on Fox this morning – said he got hits from the IP address for EOP dot gov….the Executive Office of the President.
Buy Danish on May 19, 2013 at 8:28 AM
Okay, which of y’all took page 5?
Put it back!
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 8:39 AM
Good Sunday Mornin, u’all! let’s take a look at Obama’s History, shall we? “The Great Disconnect: The Whole, Ugly Truth About Barack Hussein Obama” My take.
kingsjester on May 19, 2013 at 8:42 AM
Anti-Control on May 19, 2013 at 6:29 AM
I hate Star Trek, so came back here.
Wise Mr. AC. Nice boxing illustration.
HAL is one troll that I find easy to ignore.
Why? His motives are obvious..just hate filled
bombs he throws and watches the reactions in delight. I want to derive him of any pleasure he
may receive.
Pulling a rogerb- using his own words against him and a mock or a few is enough. Then I flush him.
He craves a fight and attention, simply for his own satisfaction and he usually gets it.
Just picture him behind his keyboard laughing…
that should help.
He has been on a frenzy for weeks…
Hmmm..timing..right when we had scandal after scandal breaking. Desperate.
He usually gets the thread derailed and he moves away from the topic. He also-if anyone has missed it..likes to post to posters here about their mom’s giving blow jobs and your trailer trash daughters doing the same.
Dudes a perv. He knows that will rile you up more then anything. But..many bite.
KA2 just mocks him-then casts him aside.
His sole purpose of being here is to inflame. Nothing more.
My 2 cents.
The best way to manage him? contain him.
Dude’s a lying, perv, pyscho- Time to quit feeding him. Wanna pi$$ him off? Ignore him.
He ain’t worth a shite or the time used on back and forths with him. Time is better spent with HAL blocker. Trust me. :)
Carry on.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 10:16 AM
?
The original, animated series, The next generation, Deep space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, The movies, 7/9, all of them?
C’mon, really?
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 10:28 AM
– I’m out. I may be awhile. I may be ready to finish up my nuclear poof. I’ve never nuclear poofed without actually nuclear poofing, but something happened, and I lost my balance. I’ve got it back. I dunno how. I dunno how I lost it. I just work here, man. Anyway, this may be awhile.
– Note that I will be missing witchy-woman. She’s trying to change the world, you know. Mostly, she comes here to work. Anyone notices this, please try to help — I won’t be around to cross link. Probably. For awhile.
Staying up for Ken..maybe for axe and Will too.
Dang..everyone bailed out early.
Wth does that mean? No nuclear poofing allowed.
You have been growing on me..you cant go nuclear now!
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 10:35 AM
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 10:28 AM
Nope..can’t stand any of the sci-fi
stuff.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 10:46 AM
Then you miss out on some sweet eye candy.
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Then you miss out on some sweet eye candy.
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 10:55 AM
Nope..trust me..I got plenty. ;)
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:03 AM
?
What in the heck do you think I was talkin’ about?
.
.
.
.
Dirty mind! Look at this link closely.
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Chicks? lol
Sorry..Sparky has ruined me.
Eh, space stuff is okay..
while I appreciate your links..
it just doesn’t get me excited.
Don’t know why.
I watched the shuttle go up a million times here..
right in my back yard..
Rocket went up the other day. It’s cool
but I just never got into it.
I did love my telescope and looking at the stars,planets,system…fascinating.
You know I am a odd ball ding bat. :)
I love Ships, subs, anything ocean related..my passion I guess.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:18 AM
Another world..inside the world.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:19 AM
Well then, you ain’t totally lost. Change anything to machine, and I’m with you.
Caspian Sea Monster
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 11:25 AM
And you didn’t look closely at that second link.
Though his link is broken, I keep my new website pretty well hidden.
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 11:26 AM
Caspian Sea Monster
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 11:25 AM
Now you’re talking!
That is bad ass!
ahhh..morning quality time with Coz.
I just got up..bad b9.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:28 AM
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 11:26 AM
hmmm..I have a clue now.
I think I get what your saying..coupled with past convo’s we had.
Give me a break..I just woke up and I am blond. :)
Until I ingest more caffeine..”my look closely” function is a bit off, my little kozmonot.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Eh, daughter is giving a speech at church, so I’m makin’ my biannual visit to Sunday service.
Enjoy me while you have me.
Since it appears we are the only two here.
Just got it up a while back and only the first page is live.
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 11:33 AM
Out of production….
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:35 AM
Enjoy me while you have me.
I actually do..I know..says something about me. ;)
Really? That is odd. All the juicy stuff disappeared then..
That would be me.
“Since it appears we are the only two here.”
Cool, thanks for sharing. I understand the oz more now. I see your passion and why.
I recall our morning talk a couple months back..you were making molds.
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:42 AM
*C*
bazil9 on May 19, 2013 at 11:43 AM
Its a very progressive church. One that this deist can tolerate, as long as they don’t expect me to sing.
Now if there was a way to kill that link.
Its a good thing the third page isn’t live. More than a dozen Trek kits there. And more on the way.
The Trek stuff alone pays for my evening hobby.
cozmo on May 19, 2013 at 1:25 PM
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