Paul Ryan understands economics, explains Medicare

[_bcspace]

On Debt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwv5EbxXSmE

On Medicare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJIC7kEq6kw

He knows his stuff. This is elementary economics. Obamacare has been tried before in various guises and has always failed. Medicare was always Socialism and therefore always unsustainable.

The Romney campaign, flush with contributions, including 70,000 new individuals since Paul Ryan alone, needs to air this kind of stuff constantly and replace "Washington" with "Obama and the Democrats" since it is a more truthful description.

by the way, I'm opposed to having a deficit as 20% of the economy. I propose 0% with a consistent payment (or buying back) of the national debt. We could successfully fight "Bush's wars" and give more welfare benefits for less money and still do this but that means the Democrats have to give up the population crushing notions of socialism and control.

[_krose]

Obamacare has been tried before in various guises and has always failed.

Where and when? Are you talking about Switzerland?

[_Drifting]

Obamacare has been tried before in various guises and has always failed.

Where and when? Are you talking about Switzerland?

Massachusetts perhaps...

[_Analytics]

On Debt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwv5EbxXSmE

On Medicare: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJIC7kEq6kw

He knows his stuff. This is elementary economics. Obamacare has been tried before in various guises and has always failed. Medicare was always Socialism and therefore always unsustainable....

Do you know your stuff?

Paul Ryan's plan for Medicare is essentially ObamaCare for seniors. Like ObamaCare (herefater referred to as the ACA), Ryan's plan requires people to purchase private health insurance. Like the ACA, Ryan's plan requires private insurance companies to accept everybody on a guaranteed-issue basis. Like the ACA, Ryan's plan is means-tested, where the government provides help for poor people to purchase coverage.

It's hilarious that Ryan argues that, "insurance providers, competing for patients business, will look to lower costs and increase quality for their services, the way it always works when the consumer is in charge." America's reliance on insurance companies to lower costs and increase quality is the primary reason our costs are so out of hand to begin with.

Ryan argues that under the current system, efforts by the government to control costs will result in lower income for doctors (which they’ll resist by refusing to take care of Medicare patients), or by a government bureaucrat interfering with the doctor-patient relationship. That all may be true, but throwing a private insurance company into the mix will just suck out another 20% of the premiums for the insurance company without any clear benefit to doctors or patients. Anything that an insurance company could do to lower costs will entail rationing care, interfering with the doctor-patient relationship, or offering lower reimbursement levels.

Do you really want an insurance company that increases its profits by denying you care to get to make your medical decisions? That's what Ryan is proposing. If you are sick, insurance companies aren't going to "compete for your business" by giving you great care at lower prices. They are going to hope you take a hike and make another company pay for your procedure. "Elementary economics" (i.e. simplistic supply and demand models) don't work for health care.

[_palerobber]

i always find it amusing what passes for "intellectual" in Republican circles.

[_hatersinmyward]

BS!!!

Medicare is a tax break scheme benefiting the drug companies, that's why they can give medicare clients such a good deal. Whats worse it big pharma doesn't even have to account and the law states in plain english they won't get audited. If we don't have HMOs we don't have medicine. That's the beauty of the system, if the drug companies go broke then whats the point of nationalized healthcare? If Romney says he's going to provide Nationalized healthcare he's lying. American Big Phamra is a republican run scheme. The republicans screwed the pooch on free heathcare long ago.

It's not even a real issue

[_Bond James Bond]

i always find it amusing what passes for "intellectual" in Republican circles.

The ability to read qualifies one as an intellectual in the Republican party. The ability to do math, history, and science disqualifies one from the Republican party.