Will the debate over Medicare sway your vote in the 2012 election?

In NO WAY will I ever vote for this Republican agenda made by fat cats who have NO care for anyone who doesn't believe in the US governemnt privatising medical care, whether it is medicare or the rights of a woman -or a man for that fact, to have control over personal medical decsions. Guess who will have financial interests in the private medicare type plans that will be developed if the Republican get into office. You got it, it will be the Romneys and the Kochs...ready to jump and make more money while the voters will not be able to afford enough coverage. The middle class is being pushed to accept a lower standard of medical care without a care, as Romney is obviously out of touch with elders' or women's needs. He may hug all the senior citizens he wants in a well funded campaign, but where is he in the inner city? Does he really care about the middle class? I haven't seen it. Shouldn't that money go for education of the public to know preventative health care and medicare and not endless private finding by the Koch brothers to set their Republican agenda so they can keep their millions? By the way, here in New England, we think Romney is joke since the health care program here was partially implemented by him. What a hypocrit!

Sharonmill1946--Sunnyshine is entitled to her opinion and true to Democratic fantasy, you protest too much at what she has to say, simply because there is nothing she did say that is not factual. When you defend obama, you are defending the indefensible. Yes, obama has no feeling and care for the U.S. None of his acute failures over the last years are accidental, but part of his larger plan to bring us down. If you had paid attention in 2008 and not turned a blind eye (and ear) you might have opened your mind to seeing this wolf in sheep's clothing. To think that 4 yrs. later obama supporters still have learned nothing is maddening, foolish, unconscionable and a threat to all of us who have done our due diligence. Yes, give me a President who is American (really), loves America and wants to see us prosper, no matter what the party affiliation may be. The election of obama was a terrible, damaging mistake. Our ability to un-do these policy decisions must begin immediately in 2013, and God help us and hopefully our new President to begin the healing.

I am sorry I failed to mention the problem with Medicare. But, there is nothing Obama could do for Medicare to make me want to vote for him. And when he successfully turns us into a socialized nation with his national medical program, it will be a moot point. None of us will have decent health care. If you believe in Socalized Medical system I would suggest you discuss what is happening to the poor people in Canada. They can tell you horror stories you will not want to hear and it can happen to us. We are much too close for comfort..

I am truly afraid of what Obama wants and it is not going to be good for any of us. Just check some of the approved pending tax bills waiting to be implemented as soon as the election is over. How about a nice tax on our checking, savings and other little monies we may have in the bank?? Not the interest. But, tax on every dollar we deposit. And that is just one small item. There are many more. You can look them up. I don;t know how they have been kept such a secret? If you are still in the Middle Class America, after Obama is re-elected, we will be done away with and become part of his new system of the poor. And without the rich we have no country. There will be no more freedom. But, it is sad to know that people cannot see the truth and will not know any of this until it is too late. What Obama says and does are not always the same, if you get my drift. And if you believe he cares about our country, just do a little more research and you will find the truth for your own edification. And if you don;t check it out soon, it will be too late for all of us. And I have never been afraid of a president before now..

My input is a bit more personal. I am so against the new Obamacare. At least our elderly 55 and over will not have any changes in their benefits with the Ryan plan BUT I am already seeing them with ObamaCare. My Aunt take monthly procrit injections to keep her blood levels normal so she doesn't need blood transfusions. Her kidney failure causes the levels to drop and she is weak and tired when they are low. They have been giving them to her previously IF her levels were under 11, normal is 12. Since the first of the year, one of the new rulings from the new Health Plan, says that Medicare can't pay for the Proctrit unless her levels are below 10, so she is never at Normal anymore. The Cancer Center that gives them told me, they are allowed to give just enough now to keep from having to do a blood transfusion.
Another bit of data. Soon, anyone over the age of 80 will be qualified by a Panel if they need an expensive surgery, such as my 96 yr old Aunts Hip replacements, and if the cost doesn't justify the benefits, Medicare will refuse to cover the surgery. If they do get the surgery, their implant devices will be taxed. This was told me by her Dr. She is lucky her surgery was this year instead of 2013 or 2014 when some of this takes effect.
There are an additional 27 taxes in that bill we haven't even been told about yet.

Do I want this? NO, sorry I don't. Not for my elderly loved ones. For those younger, they have time to set up a fund or annuity to help them when they retire but those over 55 do not. They need to have their Medicare left alone and Ryan has promised this. Obama is already taking benefits away from them.

This is all I will say on this subject. It's not a pleasant one and Politics probably shouldn't be discussed here.

Since I've already experienced Medicare discrimination I don't see how we can win either way. I was told by a dermatology office, "she no longer accepts Medicare." When I went for my annual physical I was given only one blood test, "because I'm healthy." What's the point of an annual, preventative physical if the doctor can pick and choose who gets what?! I could be developing diabetes or leukemia and I guess I have to get sick before I get treated. I have good secondary insurance so there is no need for this. What irritates me about the Medicare and Social Security debates is that I WAS NEVER ASKED IF I WANTED TO PAY INTO EITHER SYSTEM. I worked for 47 years and both were simply deducted from my paychecks. Suddenly what was a benefit is now and entitlement and we are treated like pariahs. I'm tired of both parties. I don't believe anything they say because in the end they do what's expedient for themselves and not the people. Sorry for the rant. I'm just tired and scared of the future for everyone 65 and older.

The reality is that Medicare does work and delivers a level of essential care to a large segment of the population. We pay for Medicare with a 2.9% income tax levy of which we pay half and the employer pays half. The part of Medicare the R's want to disembody is a part that works well and is efficient. A simple way to enable Medicare to have financial relief would be to lift the embargo on acquisition of drugs in the free market allowing medicare to buy the way the VA buys instead of at premium prices. Also, take the lawyers out of the equation. Australia has a single payer based system and litigation has caps and also penalties for frivolous litigation against the plaintiff if they waste the courts time. These would be huge steps to reducing unnecessary costs.
Also, do the R's have mothers who could take them aside and give them a dope slap?
Maybe we need a smaller military and fewer wars and spend that money instead on the health and welfare of our citizens........ Me

I think we have to research exactly what Romney and Obama are proposing, and not just listen to the TV ads. Medicare is not my concern as much as the fact that we live in a country that will deliver a baby entirely except for the head and then stick an instrument in the back of the head and kill the baby (partial birth abortion). And this is legal. What in the world has happened to our country? How can we vote for people in authority that agree with this insanity? Medicare is a problem, but that issue doesn't compare with a human life, an innocent baby. How tragic. If we get politicians in there that respect human life, I think they will also try their best to do what's right for all people in all situations ... hopefully. That's my 2 cents. :-)

At least the Democratic Party came up with a plan. There are so few companies that offer their employees group insurance. I think it’s a good plan, especially for all the Americans who do not have insurance, or can't afford insurance. My husband and I are self-employed, and have two children in college. We pay a fortunate of insurance that is little more catastrophic. My husband has had skin cancer, and it won’t cover it because it’s pre-existing. With Obamacare his insurance will now be “forced” to cover it.

Well-stated, Sunnyshine. I am with you. Another 4 years of Obama and there won't be any $$ in Medicare or Social Security, because he will have either spent it or given it away to illegals or foreigners. So sad for what is happening in our country, especially for the elderly who have built this country from scratch, fought wars, and used their creative skills to make this nation strong and plentiful with work and resources. And now the young politicians are going to throw our elderly people under the bus.

How Medicare is handled is just one of many considerations in the 2012 election, of course, but is near the top of my list. I've got an aged Dad, an aging husband, and am myself a late baby-boomer approaching retirement age. The stability of Medicare is important to me and my family. My understanding of the Republican approach is that while it might save a few tax-dollars, it would de-stabilize the program and reduce or eliminate access to many seniors. Perhaps the solution is twofold: better policing of fraud and over-billing, and requesting that the top-earners in our country pay their fair share of taxes. I enjoy living in a country where we all pitch in to educate our children, build infrastructure, and care for the sick and elderly... but it only works if we all chip in. I think the Democrats' plan supports this, while the Republican platform seeks to protect the wealthy at great cost to our nation as a whole.