Comment E-mail Print

One in four Americans eligible for Medicare has also signed up for the additional coverage available under what are called Medicare Advantage plans.

They were wise to do so.

But now, while all senior citizens will bear the brunt of the cuts planned by so-called progressives in Washington, those seniors who opted for an additional Medicare Advantage plan will literally have the proverbial 'rug pulled out from under them' by those same hard liberals.

That's because President Obama insists on "reforming" America's private health care system. According to his plan, in order to pay the increased costs of expanding the number of people covered, he must find "savings" through program cutbacks in order to limit necessary tax increases for what he (under) estimates is a $500 Billion plan.

Obama's point man in the Senate, Finance Committee Chairmen Max Baucus went to work and in one swipe targeted seniors who enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans for a $180 Billion cut, effectively changing their own personal choice into a...

Medicare 'Dis-Advantage'.

Understandably, that riled senior citizens.

So, last week, under pressure from all sides Baucus tweaked the number by $10 Billion.

Now, if the democrat majority gets their way, they would still take $170 Billion from Medicare Advantage funding as part of an on-going strategy to install a government-controlled public option that most Americans do not want. That fact was confirmed again in the latest Rasmussen poll, released this week, in which the number of respondents favoring reform has dropped to a new low of 41% - with 56% against any changes.

Despite this reality, hard core liberals including Senators Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) tell partisans they will continue to "fight aggressively for a government-run insurance plan or public option".

Last Friday, New York's Schumer said "This is a battle in a long war, and we expect the battlefield to get better each time".

Schumer also predicted "the provision will gain backing on the Senate floor and even more support in the House-Senate conference committee".

In other words, instead of constitutionally respecting the will of the American people, hard left incumbents are intent on forcing their own will on citizens using a vacuous claim that health reform will be like a free lunch.

But, even some democrats are wary of the government controlled public option still being pushed by party leaders, as well as other questions including: should employers be forced to contribute to the cost of health care; and, who should bear the cost burdens of expanding the current system.

For example, Joe Lieberman, I-CT, said "There's restlessness among Democrats about how to pay for this".

Of course, despite Lieberman's report of democrat "restlessness", the answers to those questions will be obvious to every citizen who has been paying attention:

All Americans will pay the indirect costs that are typically hidden and passed on to consumers in the prices of goods and services. At the same time, various segments of taxpayers will be selectively targeted by incumbent progressives and hit with tax increases embedded in progressive income tax tables; while all working Americans will be exposed to increases in income levels subject to payroll withholding for Medicare and Social Security taxes.

>> Continued -- Page 1 2