Medicare

New Budget Deal Cuts Social Security, But How?

MSNBC, CNN, HLN and Fox News have all been reporting non-stop about the Spring Valley school officer caught on video slamming a South Carolina student to the ground during an arrest — but very few details are being reported by the media about the new budget deal, which will soon go to a vote. (BTW, the student wasn't even hurt, but that has been "breaking news" for hours now.)

The Annual Budget Wars

As usual, Congress will soon start bickering again over the budget, with all Republicans wanting more tax cuts for the rich and large corporations, and a lot less government spending. Whereas most Democrats will want to close tax loopholes, raise workers' wages, strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and invest in infrastructure. But with a Republican Congress and a Democrat in the White House, the scenario will likely be another gargantuan political battle.

Preying on the Injured as Public Policy

An investigation by ProPublica and NPR has found that Republican state legislators (on behalf of lobbyists working for their local chamber of commerce) have passed laws that cut worker compensation insurance benefits to save employers money. Because of this, now the U.S. taxpayers have to pick up the added costs in Social Security disability, Medicare and Medicaid. 

Fifty Years Later the War on Poverty Is Lost

Fifty years ago Lyndon B. Johnson declared War on Poverty.  Great strides were made.  Between 1964 and 1965 Medicaid and Medicare were enacted, food stamps made permanent, a flurry of work and volunteer grants were passed, and educational opportunities were made more egalitarian.  Unfortunately later administrations have been tearing apart Johnson's weapons against poverty one by one.

Gain at the Price of Patient Pain by Big Pharma

Many of us are aware of the TIME magazine investigation about hospitals charging us $12 for those little paper pill cups. Those little cups add up to millions of dollars a year; but those little red and blue pills that Big Pharma pushes on us add up to billions. And many times the taxpayers are illegally billed for those little cups and pills. But because of budget cuts, the Inspector General may no longer investigate these abuses and fraud.

The Grand Bargain Under the Fiscal Cliff

fiscal cliff The main stream media has finally caught on that Congress will cause a major recession through economic blackmail in addressing the Fiscal cliff. Now there are calls for compromise. Ever notice when we hear the call for compromise there are few specifics? That's our problem with D.C. generally, policies based on facts, statistics and their effects not only are ignored, we hear plain lies on what these agendas actually do.

In 2011 there was a tentative deal to cut social security benefits and Medicare.

The blueprint for a deal to avoid a fiscal nightmare early next year may be found in the failed debt negotiations between President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner in mid-2011.

Part of their talks on a $4 trillion deficit-cutting plan included a gradual increase in the Medicare eligibility age to 67 and an alternative yardstick for calculating inflation that would reduce annual Social Security cost-of-living adjustments.

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