We don't have an "entitlements" problem; we have a broken health care system. The rising costs of publicly funded health care programs like Medicare will consume a larger portion of the budget in the future if nothing is done. But the real problem is runaway health care costs generally, driven by the entrenched corporate interests – the drug and insurance companies and the private hospital complexes – that have made our health care the most expensive in the world.
Self-proclaimed “deficit hawks” want to cut Medicare benefits for the most vulnerable seniors (and tomorrow’s retirees). And many want to drastically change Medicare by giving seniors a fixed amount of money to buy insurance on the private market. Calling Medicare an out-of-control “entitlement” whose costs are rising dramatically and unsustainably, they claim we just can’t afford Medicare as we know it any more. They ignore the experience of history that demonstrates private insurance is more costly. They are really making the case for a giant step backward as a nation and as a civilized community. And it would avoid the real causes of our budget deficits.
"I have no intention of voting to raise the debt ceiling because, right now, the federal government continues to spend more money than what it takes in."
Right now, Republicans in Congress are hard at work trying to repeal or severely weaken health care reform. Below are some of the protections and assistance already available to you as a result of health care reform that you would lose if the Republicans get their way:
Why is it so important to finish reform in the right way before it gets to the President's desk? Learn why affordability is important and why holding insurance companies accountable is important. more »
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Lawmakers in Washington are close to a consensus view that the Senate's excise tax on higher-cost health plans is a good idea. Here's the problem: The consensus is wrong. The misnamed "Cadillac tax" is unfair and unwise. Find out why in our fact sheet.
» Impact on Federal Workers: A report and a fact sheet conclude that an excise tax would mean higher insurance premiums and fewer choices for federal employees. more »
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A persistent bad idea in the debate over the public health insurance option is the so-called trigger. In theory, a trigger would make a public health insurance plan available to Americans receiving coverage through a health insurance exchange if private health plans did not sufficiently hold down costs. In practice, however, a trigger inserted into either of the two Senate bills now being merged (the Senate Finance Committee bill and the Senate HELP bill) would not be able to work. more »
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Lawmakers in Washington are close to a consensus view that the Senate's excise tax on higher-cost health plans is a good idea. Here's the problem: The consensus is wrong. The misnamed "Cadillac tax" is unfair and unwise. Find out why in our fact sheet.
