Not sure why they are lobbying as the fix is in already. The FU committee has already written the legislation, all that they will be debating is which faux tax increase will they put in. SS/MC are history and Obama having done his job, will live out his retirements on his tax payer funded gold plated insurance policy, give speeches to all the corps he has helped out, and write some BS memoir.

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly. Lobbyistis lobby. What else do you think is on their To Do list?
I hate that this is happpening, but let’s focus on What can we do.

Splendid plan. Helluva job, Obama! Let’s hope he likes his 30 pieces of silver.

So there’s bipartisan agreement they don’t need boomer votes? Hmmm….could be a 3rd party there.

Sorry for this OT, but, hey, most everyone is prolly at Jane’s webinair…
The other day, there was a post with a photo atop of Pres. Reagan from the 80′s. I made a comment about his Brown Suit, and how I didn’t misss that 80′s fashion trend.
I’ve got the news on. There was just a photo of Rick Perry doing sumting and he was wearing a, gasp brown suit! I guess I’m not on the cutting edge of today’s fashion.
I’ll just go sit in the corner for a while.

how much will health insurance cost for a 66 year-old couple?

not that anybody gives a shit

Here’s Hartmann from today:

The Congressional Budget Office issued a warning to the Gang of 12 Super Committee yesterday – arguing that the nation is on the verge of another recession – and the Gang of 12′s actions could make it worse. “If policymakers wanted to achieve both a short-term economic boost and medium- and long-term fiscal sustainability,” CBO chief Doug Elmendorf told the committee, then they would have to put in place, “changes in taxes and spending that would widen the deficit now but narrow it later in the decade.” Elmendorf’s message is back-dropped by troubling Census data reports showing the income of a typical American family has dropped for the third year in a row – and inflation-adjusted earnings for men who work full-time jobs have dropped down to levels not seen since 1978. Not to mention that yesterday brought us news that the United States – the wealthiest nation on the planet – just got a heck of a lot poorer – with more than 15% of our people living in poverty.

That’s 46.2 million people in poverty – the most ever recorded in the history of this nation. So the point is – Bush and Reagan’s economics of tax cuts for the rich and screwing over working people got us into this mess – and it’s up the Gang of 12 to NOT use the same misguided policies to get us out of it. That means they need to tax the oligarchs – just like FDR did – just like Truman did – just like Eisenhower did – just like Kennedy and Johnson did – just like Nixon and Ford and Carter did – and just like Bill Clinton did.

Let’s hope they get the message.

-Thom

So, the writings on the wall. IF they cut, cut gut, they MEAN to throw US into a depression and go along with the inhuman right wing and our country will die

I’m seeing a little old lady sitting in her rocker while the corporate suits tug at her clothing and strip her down to her bloomers.

And the voiceover…”haven’t they taken enough away from us?”

Ad agency, anyone?

Just don’t wear a brown suit and you’ll be OK

Talkin about DEATH panels! You can be sure all of the members have wonderful full coverage as does their friends and families.

Well, the “plan” in Obama’s “health care reform” was for the government to subsidize it…yeah, like THAT’S going to happen, when they keep screaming they’re “broke” yet they are doing THIS with your and my taxpayer dollars:
NASA Sets Plan for Deep-Space Rocket
I tell you, they’re looking for another planet for when this one is thoroughly ruined. they’d better hurry and find one, It’s happening quicker than their projections I think.

How’s everybody on the East Coast these days? don’t hear a peep on the NOOZ about it

Thanks, Kass. I had a few business suits when I was still working. I don’t think they’re still in the closet tho.
I remember once when my kids were still in school and there was a field trip to the Holocaust museum and my son, blonde and blue eyed came out to the living room wearing tan shorts and a tan button down shirt on, I told him to please change into some jeans or something.
When he came home that night, he thanked me. Said he Got the message.

This change would be a massive financial windfall for the industry, mostly at the expense of Americans about to retire. Essentially it steals money from old people to give to large corporations…

Feature, not bug.

As a 60 yr. old I really hate these people.

I could rant for paragraphs, but there’s not really much to elaborate beyond that.

I fucking hate these people. Their greed disgusts me.

I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed with all this shit today.

As a guy in his twenties, I’m with you. I fucking hate these people.

God love ‘em, cause I sure as hell never will.

I like that saying “don’t get mad, get even.” We have to find a way to make sure that other citizens get as angry as we are. That’s probably the hardest mountain we have to climb because we get little or no publicity.

This won’t just steal money from old people. It will steal away lives.

It’s going to take a revolution to change things in this country. I’ve just about given up hope, though, that revolution will happen before total collapse.

I like the saying Don’t go away mad, just go away.

so the government is going to stop paying for health care for 66-67 year old people, send them to the private insurance market, then subsidize the premiums to the private insurers so the private insurers can purchase medical services at a higher price than the governemnt provided them to begin with

and this is cost effective how? and for whom?

i know you get this but the enormity of the swindle is so great that many americans still can’t see what is happening

Thank you. They’re going to kill people with this increase. People will go untreated for these additional 2 years because they can’t afford coverage.

They’ve been conditioned you all your life that “SS won’t be there for you.” That was very deliberately done to turn your generation against the program.

I’m 60 now, but a couple of years ago I inquired about an individual policy–I think the quote was $700/month through Iowa’s high risk pool. I had some problems awhile back, am completely cured, but underwriters don’t trust the Mayo Clinic’s prognosis. And that high risk pool had high deductibles, copays, the usual.

Virtually every 66 yr. old will be considered uninsurable with pre-existing conditions.

One of the big scams with Obama’s high risk pool–to qualify, you must 1) be turned down by an insurance company and 2) be uninsured for 6 consecutive months.

Why the hell would they require you to be uninsured for 6 months? Plain meanness?

Fortunately I now have good coverage through my wife. I am very lucky.

What a crackpot country we live in. It’s like opposite day every day.

Oh, they said it to my generation too.

Eat your peas..share the sacrifice..this is what change looks like..you effin moron sanctimonius purists..
Nice sugue of topics today, from Repub wins to give us something to vote for, and now this..
Cripes, we ain’t even to FDL Late Night yet..

I for one hadn’t listened to a word of it. I have wonderful parents who made sure to tell me that the program was viable, despite what the GOP said. They also told me that SS, Medicare and Medicaid were the 3rd rail of politics.

I guess somebody killed the power. The 3rd rail isn’t electrocuting the asshats.

My son is in his twenties and your generation has it far rougher than mine.

In the good old days–I know, I sound like an old fart, just say “hush pappy” and I willd–but, in 1970 I lived in New Orleans in a small house with 2 roommates. Each of us earned the minimum wage of $1.60 or so an hour. In other words we each took home just about $60/wk. But our total rent was $60/month, our light bill was $15/month—and so on.

I ended up going to law school and the tuition in 1976–at a private law school–was $900 a semester. I drove a cab the summer before I started, and earned enough in 3 months to pay a semester of law school!

Can you imagine a minimum wage worker nowadays earning enough in 1 week to pay the rent on a house?

My son, his wife, and my grandson have moved in with us. Just no way to make it nowadays.

Same age. I put myself through a state college by working at a job that paid a little over minimum wage. I worry for the kids who are there now. My daughter, who is 28 and her husband of the same age just made it under the wire. They graduated 6 years ago, from college, got good jobs and have just moved into the condo they just bought. So many people are Sh*t out of luck.
My daughter is almost finished with her MA. That’s why I’m still not a grandma, but I’m okay with that. Kids today are suffering so much more than we did.
I remember my first apartment was $95/month.

from age 63-65, I paid $1,000.00 per month to remain in an employer-based insurance pool. We were all old, so we paid top dollar. Job began to taper off at 64…..get only occasional work now. I guess I’d have had to go naked if I didn’t get to start on Medicare at 65. These people (Obama at the lead) are devils incarnate.

Raising the eligibility age to 67 would leave about 6-7 million people of retirement age at the mercy of the health-care and insurance industries. They’ll pay extortionate prices for policies of unknown quality (which won’t be known until the insured actually receives care and submits a claim). They’ll have clerks trained by MBAs reject their claims and spend hours appealing the rejection. Even if the claims are accepted, their co-pays, deductibles, and premiums will be much higher than Medicare and eat into their life’s savings. And that’s assuming these people have enough money to buy the insurance in the first place. Remember, they’re of retirement age and employers aren’t exactly falling over one another trying to hire them.

If Obama comes out in favor of raising the eligibility age, I will not vote for him in 2012. Period. He and the Democratic Party can rot in political Hell for all eternity.

What’s amazing is how ineffective the propaganda is. Despite massive efforts to install corp friendly ideas into people’s skulls, they continue to support progressive policies, usually a majority, or at least a strong plurality. Zinn goes thru a lot of polling results since polls started and the polls rarely agree with what the pols are doing.

@Dearie

Yep, rates for old folks are just absurd. There’s not much else to say. But I would like to ask Ron Paul if he uses his medicare card or does he purchase insurance on the open market.

@Demi

As you, most of my worries about the future concern my grandchildren and children. I suspect I will muddle through with the tail end of the safety net.

so let’s face it that many people will end up unisured

you’re right, we insist on doing the wrong thimg over and over

i never thought i’d feel as disoriented as i did during bush’s reign but this is even worse

RP is prolly treated for free-professional courtesy.

Speaking of Ron Paul, Kent Snyder, one of Paul’s aides, died of pneumonia while uninsured. The hospital dunned Snyder’s mother with a bill for $400K.

You might want to mention that story to the next person who posts something complimentary toward Ron Paul on this site.

I’m over 2,000 years old, I’ve begun to understand how these things go. Sooner or later and closer to sooner (but not soon enough) this society will adopt single-payer universal health care. The for-profit people (some of them are your neighbors, your children, and your parents) want to get all they can while they can because their well is going to dry up.

When I was preretired and had excellent health insurance but only mediocre doctors, I noticed my PCP stretching his neck to read the label on my sweater when I was putting it back on.

Here is the Census report with some devastating numbers.

thanks, good link.

Right so I will get my insurance from 65 to 67 from my State exchange. Interesting. Has anyone actually seen an exchange being setup? The ACA has no controls for deductible, copays or defined plan benefits. There are also no limits on premiums. In Ohio there has been no legislation for exchanges. With Kasick as Gov there probably won’t be either. If Obama goes for this he will destroy the Democratic party.

Im 63 , husbands 64…we have both of our boys at home living with us. 24 year old is at the University and the older son lost his construction job and had to move back home. Husband and I have decided to work until we drop and especially now with this good news about Medicare. I work at the airport in Minneapolis so if you see an elderly women leaning on a walker checking people into their flight and wearing real thick pants on the top , assume its depends and that should be your clue that its a Liberal Laker

It should be called “The Obama Hole” to commemorate the first Democratic Party president in history to attack senior citizens, to ensure his own high paying post-presidential career.

the goal is for the “insured” seniors to die while on hold with the company that swindled them with a “fake” policy……hahahahahaha, the joke’s on them, free market capitalism wins again….yipppeeeeee

problem is most of these bastards never did any physical labor in their fucking lives, they’ve been pampered from the get go. If Obama came from such humble beginnings how’d he end up at an exclusive private school in Hawaii as a kid ? Hope his pole numbers dive big time and he withdraws from the race. A mass exodus of progressives from his base should put his numbers well into the thirties.

516 billion cost and 40 million over 65 and ins companies running 30% margins-

516 divided by 40 all that divided by .7

or 1500 a month premium.

I know both parties are corrupt and a President John McCain would have likey done the same but I REALLY regret voting for Obama…what a iiar and he has caused so much to turn off young people….

“Obahole”… i like it.