Ryan’s “premium support” proposal for Medicare: Myths and facts

By Ida Hellander, M.D. for PNHP – Background: “Premium support” or voucher proposals for Medicare are a mainstay of conservative health policy. They have been defeated for over three decades, starting with President Reagan’s FY 1981 budget proposal. They are a key feature of “managed competition” — type reform proposals. Although President Clinton embraced managed…

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Anti-Medicaid states: Earning $11,000 is too much

By Carla K. Johnson and Kelli Kennedy for the Associated Press – Sandra Pico is poor, but not poor enough. She makes about $15,000 a year, supporting her daughter and unemployed husband. She thought she’d be able to get health insurance after the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s health care law. Then she heard…

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Patients Will Benefit from Medicaid Expansion

By Dr. Ed Weisbart for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch – Nearly 300,000 more Missourians could soon get access to health care if Missouri state officials decide to provide it. Unfortunately, recent comments by the state Legislature’s leadership cause us to believe that they seem poised to deprive Missourians of this basic human right. We, members…

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The CEO Plan to Steal Your Social Security and Medicare

By Dean Baker for Truth-Out.org – Many people are following the presidential election closely with the idea that the outcome will have a major impact on national policy. However, according to Steven Pearlstein, a veteran Washington Post columnist and reporter, it may not matter who wins the election. In a column last week, Pearlstein told…

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VP Pick Ryan’s Plan Would Be Path to the Poorhouse

By Wendell Potter for the Huffington Post – If Americans who are embracing Rep. Paul Ryan’s “Path to Prosperity” — and that now includes Mitt Romney — spent a few minutes reviewing a few recent research reports, they just might conclude that the Wisconsin Republican’s plan to reduce the deficit might better be renamed the…

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Wisconsin’s Greater West Central Area Labor Council Endorses HR 676

From UnionsForSinglePayer.org – The Greater West Central Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO, of Wisconsin, has unanimously endorsed HR 676, national single payer health care. The labor council, which represents affiliated local unions in Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Pierce, Pepin, Polk, St. Croix, Barron, and Clark Counties, released the following statement. “Millions of working people go without…

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Bill Moyers: Everyone Should Be Entitled to Medicare (video)

By Bill Moyers for BillMoyers.com – Bill shares his thoughts on the 47th anniversary of Medicare — the apex of Lyndon Johnson’s ambitious vision for America. Bill was a key Johnson aide as they developed Medicare and pressed Congress to pass it. How to save Medicare today? The answer, says Bill, is obvious: make it…

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Happy Birthday to Medicare

By Dr. Margaret A. Nosek for the Houston Chronicle – With all the commotion surrounding the Supreme Court and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), it would be easy to overlook an important birthday: Today is the 47th anniversary of Medicare, the public health insurance program that covers our nation’s seniors and people with severe disabilities.…

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