Democratic Senator Bob Casey: ObamaCare's Proposed Medicare Cuts Break His Promise That "If You Like the Insurance You Have, You Can Keep It"

Cat's out of the bag.

I feel kind of pathetic that the only way a fact is established to exist is if a Democrat says so; obviously I can't quote Boehner or McCain or whoever. They don't count. They are self-discredited simply due to the fact they're the wrong party.

Well, fine, that's the media's game. Here's a Democrat saying so then:

Democrats, having defeated a Republican attempt to block proposed Medicare cuts, now face an even bigger headache: concern among members of their own party over the program’s future funding.

President Barack Obama wants to cut spending on the federal insurance plan for the elderly to help fund his health-care overhaul. Part of that proposal would cut more than $100 billion from Medicare Advantage, through which the government hires private insurers such as Humana Inc. to deliver Medicare benefits to 11 million seniors, including extras like reduced co-payments and even gym memberships.

Should Congress scale back the program, “We’re not going to be able to say ‘if you like what you have, you can keep it,’” said Senator Bob Casey, a Pennsylvania Democrat. “And that basic commitment that a lot of us around here have made will be called into question.”

...

It also threatens to stoke opposition from the elderly, many of whom are already skeptical about Obama’s plans, and to reduce earnings for some of the 200 private insurers participating in Medicare Advantage.

A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released last month found that 60 percent of seniors said they would be better off if Congress didn’t change the health-care system; 39 percent of those younger than 65 said they prefer the status quo.

And check this out: Blue states -- or at least Obama states -- seem to be somehow getting protection from these cuts:

Senators Charles Schumer of New York, Bill Nelson of Florida and Ron Wyden of Oregon are among those who secured special provisions shielding constituents from cuts.

Casey says he wants “very comparable” protections for his state, where more than one-third of Medicare beneficiaries participate in Medicare Advantage. “It’s the kind of thing that will likely be addressed on the floor,” he said.

How filthy-dirty is that?

Meanwhile, Blanche Lincoln is trails all four of her possible Republican opponents in Arkansas, which means, you know, this isn't about any of her opponents. It's about voting Lincoln out of office, pure and simple.

Which, again, oddly enough, frees her up commit suicide, because the voters are going to kill her anyhow.

Lincoln trails four possible Republican challengers in the latest Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey. In fact, support for the incumbent ranges from only 39% to 41% in these match-ups.

...

[A]mong those who Strongly Oppose the health care plan, Lincoln trails every potential Republican challenger by more than 50 percentage points.
The really bad news for Lincoln is that 56% of Arkansas voters Strongly Oppose the congressional health care plan. Just 18% Strongly Favor it.

When those with less intense opinions are included, 32% of Arkansas voters support the proposed health care legislation and 65% oppose it.

Can I remind everyone that Obama wanted to ram this thing down our throats without people even finding out the costs, or finding out how much it was going to cost them personally to float health insurance for a stranger, like six months ago?

Bonus: An angry, red-faced John McCain asks of Reid, "Is this the same Senator Reid that said the last time we tried to reduce Medicare payments that it was immoral? Is this the same one?"

Yup. Same one.

posted by Ace at 08:28 PM

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