President Obama is blowing more tax dollars on a television propaganda campaign featuring Andy Griffith telling seniors that “Medicare just got stronger.” (Youtube.com)
Posted on 09/29/2010 9:45:24 AM PDT by markomalley
President Obama is blowing more tax dollars on a television propaganda campaign featuring Andy Griffith telling seniors that “Medicare just got stronger.” (Youtube.com) |
On Tuesday, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in Massachusetts dropped its Medicare Advantage program, leaving 22,000 senior citizens to find other coverage to take care of expenses not paid by Medicare. Harvard Pilgrim said the decision to drop its Medicare Advantage program resulted from the company's concern for "the long-term viability of Medicare Advantage programs. ... We know that cuts in Medicare are being used to fund national health care reform." In fact, the $145 billion in Medicare Advantage cuts are routinely used by Obama and his spinmeisters to pay for yet another Obamacare fiction, that their masterpiece will reduce the federal budget deficit.
In 2003, 5.3 million Americans were enrolled in Medicare Advantage. Today, there are 11.3 million, or 24 percent of all Medicare enrollees. On average, Medicare only covers about 60 percent of health care costs. Medicare Advantage was designed to help fill the gap for those that can't afford conventional supplemental coverage. Most of Obama's Medicare Advantage cuts will hit those with incomes of less than $32,400 per year, according to a recent Heritage Foundation study. The Heritage study also projects 7.4 million more seniors will be forced out of Medicare Advantage within four years.
Obamacare also creates a panel of unelected bureaucrats known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board whose sole job will be to cap Medicare spending by lowering already untenable reimbursement rates that have prompted doctors to turn away new Medicare patients. The savings from IPAB and the gutting of Medicare Advantage will be diverted to help pay for other parts of Obamacare. As a result, Medicare reimbursement rates are expected to dip in four years to below those of Medicaid, a program that promises free care to the poor but often fails to deliver because of inadequate reimbursements to care providers.
Just last week, Obama announced that Medicare Advantage premiums would drop only 1 percent next year. That wasn't nearly enough reassurance for Harvard Pilgrim to keep its Medicare Advantage plan in force, nor will it keep more companies from dropping their programs in coming days. Meanwhile, Obama is blowing more tax dollars on a television propaganda campaign featuring Andy Griffith telling seniors "Medicare just got stronger."
Too bad Sheriff Andy of Mayberry isn't around to arrest Medicare Andy and his enabler in the White House for fraudulent advertising.
Of Obama speaks and no one listens, is he still a bald faced sleazy liar?
Andy must have been addressing members of Congress.
You gotta nip in the bud, Andy! Nip it IN THE BUD!
Sadly Andy supports Obamacare.
Sorry, I don't have the IT chops.
I worry about your Fallon plan. Read this article
You mean like thes?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edpz9f5LVaY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaLQMs_VDLw
I hate being forced to pay for that SOB’s Social Security.
There you go. Thanks
All this medicare advantage and other insane complicated BS programs should be repealed along with the Obamacare Plan and get a new sane start.
The part that I already know will affect us is the cap on Flex Spending - they’re limiting it to $2500 which is far less than we have set up now. We both have diabetes and a few other issues, and we blow through that much just on the Rx co-pays. Add in twenty doctor visit (primary & specialist) co-pays, and at least one hospital stay, and we’re so screwed. I honestly don’t know where that money’s going to come from, and I still don’t know what next year’s premiums will be.
I liked Andy Griffith’s show then and still do. Many of those old movie actors from his era weren’t paid the megabucks like they are paid today. Those who invested well don’t need the money, but many did not invest well. I suspect Andy Griffith values the money more than he does his reputation for hawking a faulty product. That’s all.
How ObamaCare Guts Medicare
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703649004575437311393854940.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEFTTopOpinion
Health law’s heavy impact by Paul Guppy
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/mar/28/health-laws-heavy-impact/
Obama: We knew health costs would go up
http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/118079-obama-we-knew-health-costs-would-go-up
Seniors’ coverage options dwindle as Medicare Advantage programs close shop
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/bus/stories/DN-advantage_22bus.ART.State.Edition1.3c912a9.html
Harvard Pilgrim cancels Medicare Advantage plan
http://www.boston.com/business/healthcare/articles/2010/09/28/harvard_pilgrim_cancels_medicare_advantage_plan/
Monthly premiums to rise for 7 of top 10 Medicare prescription plans in 2011
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/ap/monthly-premiums-to-rise-for-7-of-top-10-medicare-prescription-plans-in-2011
ObamaCare has just made me Sicker!
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/bamcare_has_just_made_me_icker_c1dBRZ6M3yuH27rAVnLsvN
In the notice, EmblemHealth told Gowland, who is healthy, “The proposed rate increase includes two components: a basic increase on your type plan and an increase due to the cost of enhanced benefits required by the new federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.”
Mayo clinic stops taking Medicare patients
http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=517004
Survey in New England Journal of Medicine 46% of US Doctors Will Quit Obamacare Passes http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2798380/shocking_survey_in_new_england_journal.html?cat=75
Here in Washington State, Regence said that it will not take on any more “children’s only” insurance cases. On the news it had the “think of the children, greedy insurance companies, etc.”
At the end of the long grieving comments, the reporter added something like “Regence will not be adding new children’s only policies because of the new rules that they cannot exclude cases based on pre-existing conditions. The existing policies will remain in effect.”
What did people THINK was going to happen if the companies are forced to accept EVERYONE? They will accept nobody. But that is the plan. Then the gov’t can jump in with gov’t healthcare because the insurance companies “aren’t doing their job”.
It’s not just health ins. We sit on the New Madrid fault (MEMPHIS), and Allstate quit offering earthquake ins. Traveler’s still does, so we switched to them. It cost us as much for the earthquake ins as it does our home owners ins.
Homeowners ins companies will be in the cross hairs next.
bump
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