Robert Romasco: The TT Interview
The benefits espoused by the AARP have been at the forefront of Texas politics for several years. And with federal and state lawmakers looking for ways to trim budgets, such entitlement programs have come under fire.
Most recently, Gov. Rick Perry’s announcement that Texas will not expand Medicaid — a choice the Supreme Court relegated to states in its ruling on the Affordable Care Act — has raised questions about the future of the program in Texas. In his failed bid for the presidency, Perry criticized Social Security, which the AARP champions, as a “Ponzi scheme.”
In light of such discussions ...
Comments (3)
Ellen Sweets
speaking of ponzi schemes, why isn't anyone talking about outrageous waste in the DOD? why can't $$ be diverted from outdated military equipment and cost overruns? maybe if we put an end to ridiculous defense spending we'd have more money for social programs including improved care for returning vets and expanded health care for the rest of us. defense spending has become an entitlement program unto itself -- and it's one of the precious few aspects of odious public policy we can't blame perry for!
Rudy Gonzales
Everyone in America supports and backs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act(PPACA) which has Supreme Court backing. It's the TEA-Republicans who are against it as they didn't have enough input into it to garner safeguards for their Insurance buddies and benefactors. That is evident with the PPACA requirement that 80 to 85 percent of premiums go to patient care or be distributed back to insureds through premium reductions, improved benefits or stimulus returns back to insureds.(note: the medical-loss ratio being 80 percent, which we know will result in $1.2 billion in refunds to people across the country.)
The Medicare/Medicaid ruling provides rules, regulations and requirements to be met, which the stringent confrontational-ist in power in some states do not want to comply with. Every effort to side-track or abate implementation benefits no one except those intent on killing the PPACA. That is the TEA-Republican leadership in Washington and state houses around the country. Those who are spearheading the attempt to kill or water-down the rules applying to compensation for the executives or administration of insurance companies will get compensated in return for their actions.
Rick Perry was in fact wrong as his actions smell to high heaven with holding 25 percent of Texas population from additional insurance which is being made available to every child, grownup and retired. Those with limited resources will benefit as will every Texan with less hospital cost increases and insurance premium increases. All costs of indigent or retired's seeking ER care which is not covered or paid will be passed onto those who can with higher costs at the hospital or insurance premiums.
Medicare and Medicaid are joined in federal funding to disseminated equitably in proportion the patients health requirements and standing in these programs. These are the rules, regulations and requirements set out above to benefit people rather than CEO' and CFO's in compensation. There is an effort at the state level where benefits are limited and excess funding gets transferred to other innocuous programs benefiting those not mentioned in initial funding. Block grants of Medicaid has been abused in past years and benefits have been limited without justification, resulting in poorer care for those directly effected. The coordination of benefits at the local level are under the auspices of local who are in fact TEA-Republican's types who are intent on being conspicuously more stringent with health care. Budgetary equations means effecting better care for those with immediate and necessary care needs being met without limitations by conservative, less caring personnel.
It is absolutely essential that every Texan at all levels become fully informed on the benefits and increases in services resulting in quality care. The conservative mantra fails the general public's access to quality PPACA, while the progressive and inclusive mantra pushes monies and funding for and to people.
The repeated calls that Medicare is a "Ponzi scheme" is ludicrous and a conservative cry to rally their base. There are too many people involved to allow any kind of "Ponzi Scheme." Medicare, Medicaid and other Social Programs have not been fully funded from every source as the well-to-do have bought and paid prior senators and Representatives to write in a multitude of exclusions, exceptions and other limitations. Not every source of money, dividends, interest, deductions and exceptions has been taxed at the same level as everyday Americans, who do not have the business's, lawyers and tax accountants to help them avoid taxes. It's not the little guy on the street who is caught evading taxes, it's the big boys who gain the biggest headlines.
There are no pensions in the Social Programs due to repeated and constant modification of these monies by the super affluent to limit such. The super affluent on the other hand have unlimited pensions like the 100 Million IRA Romney created just prior to becoming governor of Massachusetts. Everyday Americans do not have that ability or capability. If the upper limitation of taxation for Social Security is raised to 1 million dollars from all sources without exception, the Social Security program will last well into the future.
Cuts in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other Social Programs will abate promises made and not kept by the federal government. American's earned these benefits and trying to privatize them will lead to further more significant problems in the future. Earned rights and privileges cannot be taken away from those who earned them.
Loss of funding should never occur, but rather increasing funding by not limiting sources with limitations, exclusions or deductions. In actuality every source of income no matter what the source should be taxed at and for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other Social Programs. no one should be exempt, no source eliminated.
The message is do not believe the TEA-Republican's rhetoric to curtail benefits to allay budgetary constraints.
We could move all the funding from the politicians in Washington and at the state level into the Social program and that would suffice to extend the programs even further.
Karen Spivey-Cummings via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Nursing home patients on Medicaid are NOT the rich ones.