By Keegan Gibson, Managing Editor
A group of local Democratic activists who formed a watchdog website called “The Meehan Report” are hammering Rep. Pat Meehan this week over his vote for the House GOP’s budget.
The problem? Meehan was challenged point-blank over the issue during an October debate, and said he would vote against any measure to turn Medicare into a voucher program.
Watch the exchange below, and you can click here to view the entire exchange.
“The Republican budget plan that Meehan voted in favor of today calls for replacing the current Medicare system with a voucher program that forces Seniors to buy health care plans from private insurers,” said the group in a statement. They’ve since highlighted additional instances of Meehan opposing privatization and vouchers.
That’s unfounded criticism, according to Meehan, who responded via his facebook page where the group had posted a copy of the video.
“This plan will not privatize Medicare or turn it into a ‘voucher’ system,” he said. “The payment system will operate much like the popular and successful programs Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D. The proposed adjustments to the Medicare program would not change for those currently enrolled in the program or for those soon to be in it. The only Americans impacted by this reform would be those who are currently under the age of 55, with no change for those now 55 and over.”
Republicans have resisted labeling the plan as a move toward vouchers or privatization, instead seeking to portray Democrats as defenders of the unsustainable status quo on entitlements.
“This is a phony attack fabricated by partisan Washington Democrats who continue to fight for the status quo reckless budget. Both sides of the aisle agree that Medicare’s current path is heading toward bankruptcy, which is why Pat Meehan supported efforts to strengthen the program,” said NRCC Spokesman Tory Mazzola.
Democrats insist that the plan is a voucher program, something that has been echoed in media reports.
In any case, it may be difficult for Republicans to gain ground on this issue. Entitlements for seniors, including Social Security and Medicare, are a notorious third rail in American politics.
In a political landscape dominated by 30 second TV ads, it doesn’t get more potent than this. From a recent AARP press release:
“AARP Calls on Lawmakers to Oppose Unbalanced Budget Proposal. Plan could cut Medicare benefits for current retirees, raise costs for future retirees.”
It continues:
“According to calculations based on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, the proposal would more than double beneficiary costs in 2022, from about $5,500 to $12,500. For a retiring 65 year old average earner, fully 49 percent of his/her Social Security benefits would be absorbed by Medicare out-of-pocket costs in 2022, and 62 percent by 2030, up from about 20 percent today.”
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10 Responses
You know why S&P downgraded the US debt outlook? Because the Republicans refuse to do ANYTHING to increase revenues. Without increased revenues, we’re just going to have to keep borrowing to pay for our obligations.
And now there are Republicans in Congress fooling around about not increasing the debt limit? One surefire thing you can do to make the U.S. into Greece is if you let the U.S. government default on its debts.
Am I the only one who thinks the world is upside down here?
right on DelcoDem…the Republicans are cynically trying to buy off the votes of the baby boomers and existing retirees so that the rest of us will have to sacrifice for their excesses…a responsible plan would ensure that everybody bears their fair share…they only structured their plan this way for crass political reasons…
Gladys- Isn’t that exactly what the party of “No” did in 2010. Wasn’t it Sara-I-See-Russia-everywhere Palin that told people Obama wanted to kill Grandma with death panels. Before you go and call the Kettle black, take a look in the mirror.
We’ve asked our seniors to try and figure out which drug plan best fits their life (and tough crap if your situation changes, you’re stuck until next year)and now we’re asking NOT ONLY to make another confusing decision, BUT NOW we’re asking them to also pay for their decisions. We’ve just increased the cost of healthcare so that my generation can continue to pay for our parents’ mistakes. AWESOME.
It is very funny that every time we see a
Republican being demeaned in the press or
on line……those doing this dirty work
are sneaky Democrat Liberals.
It would amount to those Liberals being
given their “..TALKING POINTS..” and being
told when to use them.
Pat Meehan is a good man! We will follow
him and his goal to help seniors in Pennsylvania.
Attack the messenger all you like BUT Meehan ran on saving seniors from the evil dems’ plan to “cut” Medicare and now he has voted to do just that. Whatever you call the Ryan plan, it undeniably shifts ALL of the risks off of the budget by putting them on us. Sort of like the demise of defined benefit pensions replaced by 401k plans with all risks assumed by the employee.
A brief search of this guy yields that he’s a washed up, low-level pol with a penchant for picking losers. Tom Knox for Governor (lost.) Joe Sestak for Senate (lost.) and most recently Bryan Lentz for Congress (lost huge).
He’s not a “watchdog”, he’s a political hack hoping to curry favor with local Dems and score a job as the deputy assistant associate volunteer coordinator of the Jack Stollsteimer for Congress campaign. Come on, PoliticsPA… do some actual, you know, reporting instead of copying and pasting from this bozo’s press release.
Wow. Dems really are desperate to find an issue that will make voters forget how much they despise the Democrats. We’re ten years away from Medicare going bankrupt… nobody disputes this. Dems’ only hope for electoral success is the vain hope that they can convince voters that Republicans want to murder old people and autistic kids. Good luck with that…
Democrat Watchdogs??? You mean an ex-Lentz and Sestak campaign staffer? If you are going to act like a news site, report the news accurately. Wonder where his paycheck is coming from these days. Which Democrat is paying for him to attack Pat now?
This country needs to wake up. Did everyone see that the S&P just downgraded the outlook for the United States. That’s a major blow and our bond rating could get downgraded — which will mean skyrocketing costs for the US government to borrow — within the next two years unless we get our debt under control. Dopn’t know what that means? Take a look at Greece.
But rather than discuss the issue seriously, the Demcorats make up stuff about “voucher” programs when anyone offers serious ideas on how to control entitlement spending.
The ship’s sinking and the Democrats are the band on the Titanic’s deck. Wake up!
Pat Meehan has no principles. Isn’t that abundantly clear. Go back and read the press releases on this from the campaign. He called Lentz a liar for challenging him on this very issue! Then he goes and does exactly what Lentz pointed out he would do. The Delco GOP is a morally banckrupt and corrupt organization and Pat Meehan is simply the personification of that organization. He always has, and always will, do as he is told. He’s a lap dog. Sad really.
No matter whether you call it a voucher or “premium support,” this proposal pushes the skyrocketing costs of health care to the elderly. It will end Medicare as we know it. You just can’t get around that.
Either Pat Meehan believes that Medicare should be dismantled, or he didn’t have the stones to stand up to the GOP leadership on a matter of principle. Either way, this does not bode well for the debates ahead.