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Currently, earned income in excess of $113,700 is entirely exempt from the 6.2 percent payroll tax that funds Social Security benefits (employers pay a matching 6.2 percent). 5.2 percent of working Americans make more than $113,700 a year. Simply by eliminating the payroll tax earnings cap — and thus ending this regressive exemption for the top 5.2 percent of earners — would, according to the Congressional Budget Office, solve the financial crisis facing the Social Security system.
So why don’t we talk about raising or eliminating the cap – a measure that has strong popular, though not elite, support?
- 65% of voters believe that President Obama has a mandate to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans after being reelected last month. That includes 45 percent of the Republicans surveyed as well.
- 64% of voters believe that President Obama also has a mandate top protect programs like Medicare and Social Security during his next term. Considering Senate Republicans are now relying on filibusters of their own proposals related to the “fiscal cliff,” something tells us that Speaker Boehner was probably correct in telling House Republicans not to make holiday plans this year. source
This is really awful. Politifact, which is supposed to police false claims in politics, has announced its Lie of the Year — and it’s a statement that happens to be true, the claim that Republicans have voted to end Medicare.
Steve Benen in the link above explains it, but let me just repeat the basics. Republicans voted to replace Medicare with a voucher system to buy private insurance — and not just that, a voucher system in which the value of the vouchers would systematically lag the cost of health care, so that there was no guarantee that seniors would even be able to afford private insurance.
The new scheme would still be called “Medicare”, but it would bear little resemblance to the current system, which guarantees essential care to all seniors.
Fmr Clinton Adviser Walks Off Fox News Set Amid Heated Medicare Debate
HA!
Wow this takes ‘flip flip’ to a whole new level
On December 6th, a press release from the office of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked Democrats for “cutting Medicare.”
The very next day, after again failing to get traction, Sen. McConnell released a statement attacking Democrats for “expanding Medicare.”
Sources who have been briefed on the negotiations say that Medicare buy-in is attracting the most interest. Expanding Medicaid is running into more problems, though there’s some appeal because, unlike increasing subsidies, expanding Medicaid actually saves you money. There’s also ongoing discussion about tightening regulations on insurers, but I don’t know the precise menu of options being considered.
The negotiations are fluid right now, and there’s nothing close to agreement. But there is interest,
I am so sick of Republicans scaring seniors. Here are the facts.
From the AARP:
Fact: None of the health care reform proposals being considered by Congress would cut Medicare benefits or increase your out-of-pocket costs for Medicare services.
Fact: Health care reform will lower prescription drug costs for people in the Medicare Part D coverage gap or “doughnut hole” so they can get better afford the drugs they need.
Fact: Health care reform will protect seniors’ access to their doctors and reduce the cost of preventive services so patients stay healthier.
Fact: Health care reform will reduce costly, preventable hospital readmissions, saving patients and Medicare money.
Fact: Rather than weaken Medicare, health care reform will strengthen the financial status of the Medicare program.
Bottom Line: For people in Medicare, health care reform is about lowering prescription drug costs for people in the “doughnut hole”, keeping the doctor of your choice, improving the quality of care, and eliminating billions in waste that is causing poor care and medical errors.
NPR Slices and Dices Michael Steele On Health Care And Medicare (Audio)
Hard to believe this guy really is the head of a major American political party. - David Kurtz - TPM
the interviewer here totally nails steele. quite frankly he makes steele seem way over his head and downright silly. embarrassing.
