Remember when Republicans were ideologically consistent and opposed Medicare? It wasn't that long ago. Now you have the Chairman of the Republican Party, Mr. Michael Steele saying that retirees need a 'bill of rights' for Medicare. Just a few years ago you had President Bush passing the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.
I was thinking about that this weekend, and found a post by Matt Yglesias that answered my questions. So, I'll just let him tell you...
When thinking about health insurance reform, it is worth looking back at the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act. For one thing, in its final form it passed the United States Senate by a vote of 54 to 44. For another thing, unlike the House or HELP health care bills, it added hundreds of billions of dollars to the 10-year deficit window. And it contained nothing that even purported to “bend the curve” over the long term.
No 60 votes necessary for the Republican Congress. No pay-go requirements for the Republican administration. To make matters worse, Senators Baucus and Grassley both vote FOR the expansion. Now they're all like, 'well, I just don't know if death panels and cost controls are a good idea.'
WHY?!
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