ObamaCare: Democrats New "Bait and Switch" Proposal for Medicare

    Senate Democrats have concocted a great "bait and switch" scheme that appears to dump the "government option" but in fact accelerates health care to a government-run single payer system. They believe that this stunt will give them the appearance of compromising while at the same time offering a revised plan that will be even worse on raising health care costs, rationing and driving to a single-payer system.
    Extending Medicare coverage to ages 55-64 is not only fiscally irresponsible, but sets us on a fast-track to a government-run single-payer system, which is exactly where Obama and the Left have always intended to go. This is what Medicare and Medicaid are today, single-payer government-run plans with restrictions on care and an increasing number of doctors who cannot afford to take such patients or must limit the fraction of their patients under these government plans.
    The liberal Democrats are hypocritical about Medicare; at one moment they whine about how the system is going broke in a few years and needs reform but the main reform they propose is to destroy Medicare Advantage plans, the best plan under Medicare, combining the government run part of the program with supplements from employers of retirees that improve coverage. They evidently cannot stand the private sector improving the Medicare plan for some. Now, the liberal Democrats suddenly decide Medicare is such a great plan and is financially viable, so that another 20 to 30 million people in the age group 55-64 ought to be eligible.
    The next steps are easy to predict. We can expect the ages 45-54 to be included and then 35-44 and so on. Once all ages fall under the Medicare umbrella, there is not even a need for Medicaid and SCHIP since everyone fits the one Medicare mold and naturally private health insurance plans are obsolete. Only the AARP and others that offer Medicare supplement insurance, to cover the gap between what Medicare covers and what the patient must pay will benefit. This is why AARP has sold out its members and has been backing ObamaCare in any form; they are in effect the largest health insurance agency in America for Medigap insurance.
    This "compromise" plan is no compromise at all; it subterfuge and not a very clever one at that.
  Obama and the Democratic Senate caucus have such a low opinion of the intelligence of the American electorate that they think this smoke and mirrors compromise will fool enough people to get them past the 2010 and 2012 elections. Maybe it will!

For other posts on ObamaCare on this blog see:
1. Wednesday, Dec 2,2009 "Can Reform Actually Make Health Care Less Costly?"
2. Wednesdy ,Nov 25, 2009 "The Constitution and Requiring Health Care"
3. Wednesday, Nov 18, 2009 "Teleprompter Foul-up" (cartoon)
4. Tuesday, Nov 3, 2009 "PelosiObamaCare Bill 1990 Pages"
5. Monday, Sep 28, 2009 "Health Care Debate is a Trojan Horse"
6. Monday, Sep 14, 2009 "Rep. Joe Wilson Called Obama A Liar, Now That's The Truth"
7. Thursday Sep 10, 2009 "You Can Try To Dress Up A Pig, But It's Still A Pig'
8. Tuesday, Sep 8, 2009 " What? Trust The Government With Health Care?"
9. Wednesday, Sep 2, 2009 " The Myth About United States Health Care Not Being the Best"
10. Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 "Obama-Pelosi-Reid Calls For Bipartisanship are Phony"
11. Monday, Aug 31, 2009 Obama's Health Care Rationer-In-Chief" 
12. Tuesday, Aug 18, 2009 " In The United Kingdom, It's Better To Be A Dog"
13. Thursday, Aug 14, 2009 "A Sensible Health Care Reform Proposal From CEO of Whole Foods"
14. Monday, Aug 10, 2009 " Once Again The Democrats Change the Boggieman and The Victim"
15. Saturday, Aug 8, 2009 "Timely Medical Alternatives For Canadians"
and several more postings not listed abve.