You put an old lady into a wheelchair. You then wheel her to the edge of a cliff and push her off. What have you done?
You’ve committed an act of murder. In fact, it was premeditated murder. This is the accusation Democrats make against Republicans ... that they fully intend to commit acts of premeditated murder.
Run, granny! Run!
Oh, that’s right, you can’t. You’re in a wheelchair. This, I suppose, is the new era of civil discourse the Democrats were pushing for earlier this year after the Tucson shooting. Come to think of it — why not just show some Republican shooting granny in the head?
The issue, of course, is Republican Congressman Paul Ryan’s blueprint for reform of Medicare. The plan means the Republicans intend to kill old people.
The demagoguery worked last week in New York when a Democrat defeated a Republican for a U.S. House seat long held by the GOP.
Some call the Democrat’s tactic “Mediscare.” It clearly works because not one out of 100 Americans understands the problem or the GOP plan to salvage it.
First: A primer on Medicare costs. Medicare Part A was passed in 1965. We were told back then that in 1990, the program would be costing us $9 billion a year. Slight miscalculation.
The actual 1990 cost was $67 billion a year. The remainder of basic Medicare was passed in 1967 and the estimates for 1990 were revised to $12 billion.
Oops! Missed again! The actual cost was $110 billion. Don’t you just hate it when that happens?
Apparently not enough. Some estimates have Medicare slated for bankruptcy in 12 years.
Forget the costs though. Medicare has fulfilled its primary goal. Millions of seniors now depend on government for medical care. Dependency breeds obedience, and these dependents are obedient Democrat voter.
But what about the Medicare reform plan put forth by Paul Ryan? Is it really a sophisticated murder plot targeting the elderly?
Hardly.
The Ryan plan has absolutely no affect on anyone over 55. That blue-hair in the wheelchair? Nothing in the GOP plan would touch her Medicare eligibility or access to care.
But what about those under the age of 55? Are they left to completely fend for themselves? Hardly.
Medicare now spends an average of $11,000 per beneficiary every year. When they reach Medicare age, people now under 55 will get a voucher good for $11,000 (adjusted for inflation and increases in medical costs), which they can use to buy insurance from Medicare-approved companies.
Pre-existing condition? The insurance company must accept you. Low income? Your voucher will be increased. High-cost medical challenges? Your voucher is increased as well. Ditto for people who live in areas experiencing high medical costs.
So, where’s that cliff? Where are the people being told to just go somewhere and die? Can’t seem to find them, can you? That would be because granny in the wheelchair, and the old folks being marched out of nursing homes were purely the product of Democrat demagogic imagination.
The private-sector advantage? Insurance companies will see those millions of vouchers floating around and are going to compete for as many as they can. Find a policy for less than your voucher? The difference goes into your Medical Savings Account, which you can use for medical expenses. Oh, and by the way; if you can’t afford to fund your own Medical Savings Account, the government funds it for you.
Doesn’t that sound just hideous? Really — no, it doesn’t; if you’re informed, that is. And therein lies the problem.
Listen to Neal Boortz live from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays on AM 750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB.
His column appears every Saturday. For more Boortz, go to boortz.com
