The Medicare buy-in compromise (which killed the public option in the health care reform bill) is a sham. First of all, you can bet your bottom dollar even that provision will be watered down before this measure becomes law. On top of that, while the buy-in is surely a deal for people 55 years and older, the rest of us will still be subject to... The Mandate: Every American will be required to buy private insurance or pay a fine. This is an epic giveaway to the private insurance companies. there's no other way to look at it. [The "public option" existed in large part primarily to help those who would be unable to afford private insurance.]
In the days and weeks to come you may hear the argument made that the Medicare buy-in was a tricky way of sneaking the camel's nose under the tent, giving legislators an opening in the future to lower the buy-in age, first from 55 to 45, then 35 and ultimately extending Medicare to all (and if that's not socialized medicine then I don't know what is).
POPPYCOCK. Ain't gonna happen.
Just look at how excruciating the current health care reform debate has been. Democrats acceded on single-payer from the start -- it wasn't even on the table; they gave in on the public option; they gave up on the watered-down public option; they bargained away women's reproductive rights to placate the pro-lifers. If you think the Medicare buy-in age is magically going to drop to 45...or 35..or {guffaw} 25 any day in our lifetimes you've been smoking some Grade-A medical marihuana.
In the days and weeks to come you may hear the argument made that the Medicare buy-in was a tricky way of sneaking the camel's nose under the tent, giving legislators an opening in the future to lower the buy-in age, first from 55 to 45, then 35 and ultimately extending Medicare to all (and if that's not socialized medicine then I don't know what is).
POPPYCOCK. Ain't gonna happen.
Just look at how excruciating the current health care reform debate has been. Democrats acceded on single-payer from the start -- it wasn't even on the table; they gave in on the public option; they gave up on the watered-down public option; they bargained away women's reproductive rights to placate the pro-lifers. If you think the Medicare buy-in age is magically going to drop to 45...or 35..or {guffaw} 25 any day in our lifetimes you've been smoking some Grade-A medical marihuana.
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