Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Hey, Trump voters! Paul Ryan is already coming for your Medicare.

On Friday last week — a mere three days after the election — Ryan was asked in an interview with Fox News' Bret Baier about "entitlement reform." This is Washington code for cuts, and when coming from a hard-right ideologue like Ryan, it means very sharp cuts, if not outright repeal of programs. He said that ObamaCare is "failing" and would be repealed, and that since Medicare and Medicaid were significantly changed as part of ObamaCare, they would need changes as well. Then followed a duplicitous word salad about costs: What people don't realize is that Medicare is going broke, that Medicare is going to have price controls. Because of ObamaCare, Medicaid is in fiscal straits. So you have to deal with those issues if you're going to repeal and replace ObamaCare. Medicare has got some serious problems because of ObamaCare. Those things are part of our plan to replace ObamaCare. [Fox News] These are lies. Medicare already has price controls, and in fact ObamaCare probably improved the fiscal position of Medicare and Medicaid. Health care price inflation has been unprecedentedly low since its passage, likely because it contained many cost control measures which appear to be working pretty well. Therefore, repealing it would massively increase the fiscal problems with government health insurance, and bring back the predictions of long-term explosions in deficits.
How proud almost Pure White Wisconsin must be!

http://theweek.com/articles/661571/hey-trump-voters-paul-ryan-already-coming-medicare 

So who pays him to be such an asshole? 

The Big Money Behind Paul Ryan's Political Career | US News

www.usnews.com/news/articles/.../the-big-money-behind-paul-ryans-political-career
Aug 14, 2012 - Paul Ryan, the newly-announced running mate of Mitt Romney. ... why the private energy corporation Koch Industries has given Ryan more ...

Paul Ryan's Choice: Constituents or Koch Brothers? | The Nation

https://www.thenation.com/article/paul-ryans-choice-constituents-or-koch-brothers/
Aug 22, 2013 - House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan pauses during a news ... petition Congress to take the necessary actions to get corporate money out of ... The question is whether the congressman retains deep ties to Kenosha.

Paul Ryan's Connections to Insurance Companies | OpenSecrets Blog

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2013/03/paul-ryans-connections-to-insurance/
Mar 13, 2013 - Paul Ryan's Connections to Insurance Companies ... Over the course of Ryan's career in Congress, insurance has been the top industry (after ...