Monterey : Medicare Battle Heats Up in Washington D.C.

: View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving,

Carmel, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas & Seaside,
California

The voters surprised a number in Washington D.C. and New York when they elected a Democrat to a
vacant House seat that had been filled by a Republican for many years in upstate New York. Some
believe that Kathy Hochul's victory in the race was a signal from voters that they want the Medicare plan
proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan (Republican, Wisconsin) to die a quick death. She won against Republican
candidate Jane Corwin and third-party candidate Jack Davis by vigorously attacking Ryan's plan and
linking it to Ms. Corwin. 47% voted for Hochul, 43% for Corwin, and 9% for Davis. "If the Republicans
truly believe that Medicare was not a factor in this race and they want to double down on their plan to end
Medicare, they proceed at their own peril," Rep. Steve Israel (Democrat, New York), who coordinates
House Democratic campaigns told The Wall Street Journal May 26. The New York Times reported on
May 25 that the Democrats used the shrinking majority that the Republicans have in the House to force a
vote on Medicare reform. This strategy exposed who is on the side of a massive overhaul which would
change the current government payment to health care providers system into one which would just pay a
flat fee to seniors who would then buy their own health insurance. The result: five of 47 Republican
Senators voted against it, four (Lisa Murkowski, Alaska, Susan Collins, Maine, Olympia Snow, Maine,
Scott Brown, Massachusetts) claimed that their vote was because it went too far, and one (Rand Paul of
Kentucky) said the budget plan didn't go far enough to address the budget deficit. Republicans are facing
increasingly negative public outcries against the Ryan plan, even though it wouldn't impact current
recipients of Social Security recipients, but a coming onslaught of baby boomers who will hit the
government retirement system over coming decades. It proposes changing the system for those currently
under the age of 55. Some Republicans have tried to distance themselves from the plan, figuring it is
safer to put it off until after next year's elections, but others weren't committed either way until the vote
which occurred on May 25. "We took that fight to one of the most conservative congressional districts in
America. We won. So we will continue the strategy," said Israel. The upset by Hochul caused many to
speculate that the Republicans would have to back down on their refusal to raise taxes to help close the
deficit. "I want to point out how isolated the House Republicans are," Gene Sperling, director of President
Barack Obama's National Economic Council," said. "Serious people doing serious discussions do not
take an abolitionist position that you cannot have a penny of revenue." Despite this fact, Republicans are
moving forward to reduce the top tax rate on corporations from 35% to 25%. Although the battle has
become particularly vicious on a number of occasions, it appears that many Republicans fear a public tide
could quickly turn against them and the rhetoric may be toned down for some, particularly those up for
reelection next year. As I recently wrote on my blog, a recent poll showed that a majority of the
population doesn't believe there is a need to cut Medicare or Social Security in order to balance the
budget and, not surprisingly, seniors were overwhelmingly against it. 84% of those surveyed over the age
of 65 said both programs are central to their financial security and baby boomers are getting increasingly
worried about this too.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304066504576345433136872502.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/us/politics/26medicare.html

http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=carmel-social-security-medicare-may

About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:

After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family
member Richard Kuehn was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. He became
convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded
Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about
important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog