Any Comments?

Obama was campaigning on sept 12.before the four killed were even stiff...

FreedomWorks said:

Thats a bunch of BS. You put "FACTS", yet you have only cited political campaign ads. There are no coupons. Giving people the choice to choose what plans and programs work best for them, is not the same thing as a coupon. Not even close. Ryan's plan puts the power of Medicare in the hands of the people. Obama's plan puts the power and rationing of services in the government's hands. This is not sustainable. Obama's plan will make us go broke, just like every other plan. The guy keeps racking up more and more debt. Thats not good for America.

Click to expand...

[h=1]Ryan's plan includes $700 billion in Medicare "cuts," says Stephanie Cutter[/h] [h=4]Share this story:[/h]






Mitt Romney’s pick of U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate has rekindled a heated debate over Medicare.

Ryan, R-Wis., is the head of the Budget Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives and the architect of a plan to dramatically restructure Medicare.

Today, Medicare operates as a government-run health insurance plan for Americans over age 65.

Ryan’s idea is to eventually move Medicare toward private insurance companies by giving people a set amount to buy their own health insurance plans. The new system would be for people who are under age 55 now, and it would give them voucher-like credits to buy traditional fee-for-service Medicare or competing private insurance plans. (The credits are sometimes called "premium support.")

Though House Republicans voted overwhelmingly for Ryan’s plan, polling shows public opinion is mixed, with older voters the most wary of the plan.

The Republican response to attacks on the Ryan plan has been to attack back, saying President Barack Obama has cut "$700 billion" out of Medicare. And the Democratic response to that: Well, Paul Ryan cuts that amount, too!

For this check, we’re looking specifically at what Obama campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said on Face the Nation when debating Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom.

"You know, I heard Mitt Romney deride the $700 billion cuts in Medicare that the president achieved through health care reform," Cutter said. "You know what those cuts are? It’s taking subsidies away from insurance companies, taking rebates away from prescription drug company. Is that what Mitt Romney wants to protect? And interestingly enough Paul Ryan protected those cuts in his budget."
It’s a lot to digest if you’re not already a Medicare policy wonk, so let us sort it out for you. For now, we are going to put aside the question of whether it is accurate to call them "cuts" -- a claim we're checking in another item -- and focus on the question of whether Cutter is correct that Ryan relies on those same reductions in his budget.

$700 billion in Medicare cuts?

Because we’re wonks ourselves at PolitiFact, our ears pricked up at the claim in recent days that Obama cut $700 billion out of Medicare. Just a few weeks ago, the oft-cited number was $500 billion. How did he manage to cut another $200 billion when no one was looking?

Well, there are cuts and then there are CUTS. Neither Obama nor his health care law literally "cut" a dollar from the Medicare program’s budget.

Rather, the health care law instituted a number of changes to reduce the growth of Medicare costs. At the time the law was passed, those reductions amounted to $500 billion over the next 10 years.

What kind of spending reductions are we talking about? They were mainly aimed at insurance companies and hospitals, not beneficiaries. The law makes significant reductions to Medicare Advantage, a subset of Medicare plans run by private insurers. Medicare Advantage was started under President George W. Bush, and the idea was that competition among the private insurers would reduce costs. But in recent years the plans have actually cost more than traditional Medicare. So the health care law scales back the payments to private insurers.

Hospitals, too, will be paid less if they have too many re-admissions, or if they fail to meet other new benchmarks for patient care.

Still, the overall Medicare budget is projected to go up for the foreseeable future. The health care law tries to limit that growth, making it less than it would have been without the law, but not reducing its overall budget. So claims that Obama would "cut" Medicare need more explanation to be fully accurate. In the past, we’ve rated similar statements Half True or Mostly False, depending on the wording and context.

Because Medicare spending gets bigger every year, the cost-saving mechanisms in the health care law also get bigger. Also, it takes a few years for the health care law’s savings mechanisms to kick in. In fact, the effects of time are the main reason the $500 billion number has turned into $700 billion.

The CBO determined in 2011 that the federal health care law would reduce Medicare outlays by $507 billion between 2012 and 2021. In a more recent estimate released this year, the CBO looked at the years 2013 to 2022 and determined the health care law affected Medicare outlays by $716 billion.

So it’s timing that’s making the "cuts" bigger, not changes to Medicare.

Does the Ryan budget ‘protect those cuts’?

Now onto our second question: Does Ryan’s budget keep the reductions in Medicare spending? The short answer is yes.

Here’s what Ryan said in an interview with George Stephanopolous of ABC News in June, before his selection as Romney’s running mate:

Stephanopoulos: "You know, several independent fact-checkers have taken a look at that claim, the $500 billion in Medicare cuts, and said that it's misleading. And in fact, by that accounting, your budget, your own budget, which Gov. Romney has endorsed, would also have $500 billion in Medicare cuts.

Ryan: "Well, our budget keeps that money for Medicare to extend its solvency. What Obamacare does is it takes that money from Medicare to spend on Obamacare. ..." (Read the full exchange.)

So Ryan has confirmed his budget includes the Medicare savings.

The Romney campaign got questions on this point the day after Cutter’s remarks, and issued a statement saying that Romney intended to fully repeal the federal law, including the savings for Medicare.

"Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have always been fully committed to repealing Obamacare, ending President Obama’s $716 billion raid on Medicare, and tackling the serious fiscal challenges our country faces," said Lanhee Chen, Romney’s policy director, in a statement reported by NBC News. "A Romney-Ryan administration will restore the funding to Medicare, ensure that no changes are made to the program for those 55 or older, and implement the reforms that they have proposed to strengthen it for future generations."

Cutter, though, was talking about the Ryan budget. We should point out that the Ryan budget is a congressional resolution that doesn’t have the force of law. And its plan for Medicare hasn’t been turned into legislation that could be analyzed in detail by the Congressional Budget Office.

Still, Ryan himself said his plan did include the reductions in future spending that were part of the federal health care law.

That’s because both sides agree on one point: Medicare spending is growing too rapidly, and it needs to reined in.

Our ruling

Cutter said that Romney attacked Obama for cutting $700 billion out of Medicare, but "Paul Ryan protected those cuts in his budget." Again, with this item we are not addressing whether they are cuts, but simply whether she is correctly characterizing Ryan's plan.
Cutter is correct that the Ryan budget plan included cost savings that were part of the future health care law. Just recently, the Romney campaign backed away from that play, saying Romney’s plan would restore the spending that the health law is set to curtail, such as extra funding for private insurers under the Medicare Advantage plan.

Still, Cutter was right about the Ryan plan. We rate her statement True.

• Rather, the health care law instituted a number of changes to reduce the growth of Medicare costs.​
  
  
  
  

Click to expand...

What this means is that the rate of compensation to doctors and hospitals will be cut. Cut starting now rather than 10 years from now. It is definitely a cut of hundreds of billions starting NOW.

Stephanie cutter is a liberal hack...

STEPHANIE CUTTER? Cheesus ARE YOU SERIOUS? YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE QUOTED DEBBIE SCHULTZ.

NLXSK1 said:

You would have to borrow money from your in-laws flounder....

Chesus asked for comments about the picture and Romney wasnt in it... You can get off his nuts now...

Click to expand...

lol.

"stop picking on romney!"

FreedomWorks said:

STEPHANIE CUTTER? Cheesus ARE YOU SERIOUS? YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE QUOTED DEBBIE SCHULTZ.

Click to expand...

suck it, falafel.

• Ryan's plan includes $700 billion in Medicare "cuts," says Stephanie Cutter
  
  

  

  
  
  ​

Email that went out from Michelle Obama on Monday, October 29th. 2012

From: Michelle Obama <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>>
Subject: I know we've asked a lot of you, but we're almost there
To:
Date: Monday, October 29, 2012, 7:44 PM

Friend --

There's still time to meet Barack and get two of the best seats in the house on Election Night. If you make a donation today, you'll be automatically entered to join us in Chicago for his big speech.

You'll be right in the middle of all the action on Election Night, and if Barack wins, you'll know you played an important part in making that happen and moving our country forward.

We'll fly you and a guest to Chicago, put you up in a hotel, and make sure you're right up front when Barack gives his speech.

What he'll say that night depends entirely on what we do right now.

I don't have to tell you, this election is close.

Barack needs you. Please chip in $5 or whatever you can today:

https://donate.barackobama.com/Election-Night

I know we ask a lot of you. Thank you for everything -- we're almost there.

Michelle
Oh, did I mention that The following was sent at 7:44 PM via email to voters in North Carolina and Virginia just around the time Sandy made landfall:

Carne Seca said:

In a couple of years Christie will die from pastrami congested heart failure. O'Bama will die in his 90's from a heart attack while chasing Michelle around the kitchen with a horny expression on his face.

Or as my dad always says, I'll die at the age of 102 by a gunshot wound from a jealous husband.

Click to expand...

You've put this image in my head of 90 year old Tiger Woods chasing around one of his many mistresses.....

ChesusRice said:

Over 1000 miles away from the devastation in New Jersey, western Wisconsin was briefly the focus of Hurricane Sandy support efforts, with a touch of politics. Congressman Paul Ryan made an appearance in La Crosse, Wisconsin to stage a “photo op” behind a backdrop of can goods intended for the victims of the unprecedented damage and destruction from North Carolina to New England. Ryan’s entourage included an appearance by Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ryan’s wife, Janna, and Republican Senatorial candidate, Tommy Thompson. The only person providing public comments was Ryan

When Ryan appeared at the event, the press were shuttled outside to
photograph a group of Romney campaign supporters only to be restricted to
allowing only a few photographers to get shots of Ryan shaking hands with
volunteers against a backdrop of strategically placed canned goods.

Click to expand...

*in my best Jersey accent*
Oooohh the hooorror!