Are the Republicans actually going after Obama for cutting Medicare?

[Hob]

Isn't this sort of ... uh... not the Republican position? The Republicans are _supposed_ to be the party of fiscal conservatism. They are supposed to be the ones who make the hard choices to cut social programs when it is needed. These two clowns are actually trying to out Democrat the Democrats on the social program issues. Who is running their stupid campaign? Do they think this strategy is going to work? And is there any party anymore that at least pays lip service to cutting the budget?
@Jimmy: They take out 3 times as much as they pay in.

[ToughBeggar721]

People PAY INTO MEDICARE.

It's okay that Obama just jacked $700 billion from a program people PAY INTO?

[crash.override]

Republicans are pointing out Obama's hypocrisy in cutting Medicare to fund portions of Obamacare. You have something against pointing out hypocrisy?

Ryan provided a plan to salvage what can be salvaged of Medicare.

[Bill_the_Dog]

cons are a hoot

1st they screech about "Spending"

The President Obama wants to cut spending & they howl about that too.

[Mjǫlnir]

Simply cutting Medicare spending is bad for those on Medicare - because the only way to do it is by cutting the reimbursement rates to medical providers. Doctors are already limiting how many Medicare patients they see because of the low reimbursement they get. Decrease that more and you won't have any doctors willing to take on Medicare patients (and that's just GP and internists - it will be worse for surgeons).

So more seniors will go to ERs.

Also for surgeries, the costs of things like replacement joints will increase because of the huge ObamaCare tax on these, and with fewer specialists willing to see Medicare patients, we will start seeing NHS - level waiting times for "elective" (as if not being able to walk or sit without massive pain is "elective") surgeries like joint replacement.

And it will still go broke.

Without real reform, the people on Medicare will be screwed.

[Freedom!]

If you would divulge the whole story..... obama is cutting medicare to get money to fund obamacare. Do you see the problem here? obama is not being fiscally conservative by cutting medicare, and this is the problem Republicans have with this. It would be a totally different story if obama was trying to reform medicare, and save money, but he is not.

[Socrates]

Conservatives are pragmatic. The social entitlement are an overstep of Constitutional authority but, unlike Libertarians, aren't willing to simply surgically cut out these programs. A system of dependence has grown up around these programs. At this point, the goal is to reform these programs, not eliminate them. Republicans support reforms that will make Medicare viable into the indefinite future, more cost effective, efficient, flexible and more accountable to it's beneficiaries. Implementing free-market reforms does all these things for every thing else in your life. It will for Medicare too.

Obama is raiding Medicare Advantage for the money to power Obamacare. It would have an immediate effect to seniors. Not only that, Medicare Advantage is a more free-market form of Medicare, precisely the kind of reforms Romney and Ryan want. Free-market reforms are NOT the kinds of things Obama wants. He wants government to be the solution to everything. Ryan's cut-backs in funding don't effect seniors 55 or older. This means cuts to Medicare won't happen for 10 years, after the effect of free-market reforms have taken hold.

[Jesse S]

First of all, to respond to Jimmy Carter the Second, yes, people PAY INTO medicare. You also PAY INTO food stamps for the poor. So what you said was really useless.

Also, we need to look at the big picture. If Obama destroys medicare to add funds to the new healthcare program, seniors WILL STILL BE COVERED, just not by medicare. So don't say Obama is screwing the elderly, the new healthcare systems is designed for ALL AGES.

Final point. It disturbs me that my own health insurance, which is offered to me for the price of FREE by the new Health Care act is miles above Medicare in value. NO donut-hole for medications. I would give the new health care a B+ but Medicare a D-. So tell me how good Medicare really is for seniors... I DARE YOU.