Lie of the Year 2011: 'Republicans voted to end Medicare'

otisptoadwater wrote: BOVINE EXCREMENT! You are nothing more than a contrarian that exacerbates discussions on serious topics by saying that anyone who opposes Obama is wrong, racist, and stupid. Face the facts or STFU!

otisptoadwater wrote: BOVINE EXCREMENT! You are nothing more than a contrarian that exacerbates discussions on serious topics by saying that anyone who opposes Obama is wrong, racist, and stupid. Face the facts or STFU!

otisptoadwater wrote: BOVINE EXCREMENT! You are nothing more than a contrarian that exacerbates discussions on serious topics by saying that anyone who opposes Obama is wrong, racist, and stupid. Face the facts or STFU!

otisptoadwater wrote: [sarcasm]The Obamacare death panels will be far more compassionate I'm sure. "Well sure your are sick, get in line and we'll get back to you when it's your turn to experience Socialized Medicine at it's worst..."[/sarcasm]

Raees wrote: Toad, Toad. BOTH of your links are to last year's stories... Surely with all your outrage, you can find something more recent....

Democrats have jumped on Ryan’s budget proposal since he first presented it in 2011. His plan called for a massive change to Medicare — stopping the current Medicare system in 2022 for new beneficiaries and instead launching a so-called “premium-support” system, where seniors would pick from a choice of private plans on a new Medicare exchange with the help of government-provided subsidies. Claims that this would “end Medicare” — claims that were usually accompanied by images of elderly individuals — left the false impression that the Ryan plan would get rid of any kind of insurance program for seniors.

Furthermore, this plan didn’t pertain to the seniors pictured in the attack ads — they would remain on traditional Medicare, with only new beneficiaries in 2022 and beyond joining the private system. The claim made our list of the “Whoppers of 2011,” and so far, Democrats are making a good case for its inclusion in our 2012 list.

Here’s a quick rundown of the latest Ryan plan:
 ■For seniors who are now in Medicare, nothing changes. They can stay with the traditional program as it is.
 ■Beginning in 2023, 65-year-olds would have their choice of insurance plans — private and traditional — on a new Medicare exchange. A premium-support payment, like a subsidy, would be sent to the plan of their choice.
 ■If the chosen plan costs more than the premium-support, the senior would pay the difference.
 ■The Medicare eligibility age would be slowly raised to 67 by 2034.
 ■All plans on the Medicare exchange would offer a base level of benefits, and they would be regulated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
 ■The premium-support payments would be tied to the second-cheapest plan, which can’t grow more than gross domestic product plus 0.5 percentage points. If the cost does grow faster, Congress would be required to step in and take some action to keep costs down.