Political Quotes

“Many people didn't notice that a little over 3 weeks ago, the Medicare Trustees Report came out and advised that the Medicare program would in be serious difficulty in the year 2023. Now you might ask, What is Congress doing about this? We have well over 10 years to react. The Republican budget that was passed a few weeks ago did indeed lay out a pathway for dealing with the problems in the future. Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership in the other body has decided not to take up any type of roadmap or pathway that may lead to a resolution of this problem. So we are left with the program that was essentially laid out by the President in the Affordable Care Act, and this program relies heavily upon a group called the Independent Payment Advisory Board: 15 people, not elected but appointed by the President, well paid to sit on a board and to deliver to Congress every year a menu of cuts in the amount of money that Medicare may spend. Now, Congress, true enough, has the ability to accept or reject this menu of cuts, but if Congress rejects it, it must come up with its own plan. If Congress does not agree--and when has that ever happened?--the Secretary of Health and Human Services will have the ability to institute those cuts as planned. ____________________”