Romney would raise eligibility age for Medicare

[chrisrobin]

It appears that Mittens is really going after the Senior vote. What he doesn't understand (or care about) is that just because life-expectancy is increasing, this does not preclude the fact that 65-67ers won't get sick anyway - duh.

http://start.toshiba.com/news/read.php?rip_id=<D9T40HFG2@news.ap.org>&ps=1018

Remember: this is is someone who doesn't have be concerned with his own healthcare as long as he lives. As a Republican measure to cut spending, we might as well institute the death camps as suggested by former half-governor Sarah Palin.

At least the trees in Michigan are all the proper height!

 

[Jack Springer]

If Romney continues with this pledge he won't be elected or even nominated.

Obama and the dem's cut Medicare coverage in Obamacare -- but have done a great job is spinning it to make people believe they didn't.

Obama has the bully pulpit and the media behind him -- why he wants to be President when everything completely falls apart is beyond me.

 

[Kulindahr]

He has a point -- something has to be done about its sustainability. I don't know if that's the thing to do, but if SS age is moving, why not Medicare?

We've got a weird situation, with people needing to work longer just to afford a tolerable existence they can call retirement, but there aren't enough jobs to go around as it is, and both of these are intricate parts of whether we can afford Medicare as it is.

 

[MystikWizard]

Convention! Convention!

I want to see it happen, just because I've never seen it happen before ... and I know the GOP would hate it.

As far as his stance on Medicare ... can he isolate Seniors anymore? He is really going after the Republican vote hard (lol).

 

[hotatlboi]

I agree with him on this. Medicare is going to bankrupt us if the age is not raised.

 

[Wafflecakes]

I actually agree with this /hides

But seriously....we are living longer and healthier lives....it only makes sense they raise retirement, social security, and medicare ages.

 

[CowboyBob]

It doesn't matter what he thinks because he'll never be President. Same goes for Santorum and especially the adulterous Newt Gingrich. What they think is all irrelevant.

We need to discuss what Obama will be doing in his second term. No doubt still repairing the damage done by George W Bush's failures and crimes.

 

[Kulindahr]

I actually agree with this /hides

But seriously....we are living longer and healthier lives....it only makes sense they raise retirement, social security, and medicare ages.

And thanks to increasing wealth and income disparity, more of us are living them in poverty.

 

[chrisrobin]

And thanks to increasing wealth and income disparity, more of us are living them in poverty.

Sorry I can't cite this, but I heard on my radio tonight that the USA is the fifth worst country in the WORLD in income disparity.

 

[Kulindahr]

Sorry I can't cite this, but I heard on my radio tonight that the USA is the fifth worst country in the WORLD in income disparity.

I think that's in the developed world. We're also on the bottom in economic mobility, which is astounding since we used to lead the pack -- and many people still claim America is the "land of opportunity".

 

[opinterph]

Sorry I can't cite this, but I heard on my radio tonight that the USA is the fifth worst country in the WORLD in income disparity.

According to the CIA website, the US currently ranks in 40th place (lower number = greater income inequality). The US has less income equality than Russia or China.

Map: U.S. Ranks Near Bottom on Income Inequality​

 

[vulgar_newcomer]

As people continue to lose health insurance and access to maintenance medications because of cost we will not live longer.
A important reason people are living longer is that one has access to medications along with treatment.
Take that away and many common manageable illness will become the killers they once were. Diabetes, high blood pressure or pneumonia are a few examples. They are very high killers now, but no where what they will be if you can't get the monthly drugs to manage.
For instance lack of access to expensive HIV drugs that easy top out over 20 K a yr for the rest of a persons life and HIV is right back where it was in 1993.
People tend to forget these things when they throw about "we are living longer".
Because of government regulation on potable water, food, advances in medical science and development of long term maintenance drugs we are.
However if you have no medical coverage for those drugs and are on a waiting list for a government program that is over flowing that with people you are in deep do-do if you think you will waltz into Walgreens and pick up a extra bottle of Crestor or Isentress to control your high cholesterol and HIV on a 30 K per yr job.
Your going down! All the way.

As someone mentioned living longer & better doesn't mean chronic sickness isn't present and increasing with age. By 60 or 65 likely there will be some expensive treatments. And any nut job who thinks a 60 yr healthy person in the real world is going to be able to purchase a health policy is crazy. Like a 3 time drunk walking into Allstate and asking for auto insurance.

 

[Kulindahr]

^
Did anyone happen to notice that life expectancy for males actually dropped last year in the U.S.? One mag I read had an article asking, "Will the be the first generation in the U.S. with shorter lives than their parents?"

 

[justdra]

They may live longer but most of them are working at Walmart or jobs that pay significantly less than enough to live or enough hours to qualify for benefits. I have yet to run into a senior citizen not taking meds for something.

 

[maxpowr9]

Retirement age is fine in the US. In fact we have the second highest age requirements in the world (Germany is #1). Maybe if government would stop raiding the kitty that is Social Security for our "adventurism", there wouldn't be a shortfall.

 

[Kulindahr]

The age issue is pretty arbitrary isn't it? Well if not 64 then why not 60? The issue boils down to practicality. By the time I am an old man, I fully expect the eligibility to be in the 70s at least. The entitlement must match what Americans are willing to put up with in taxes politically

And what two generations of politicians' irresponsible spending will allow.