Gingrich "proud" of supporting Medicare Part D; a "stronger Medicare program"

[rambone]

In last night's (1/23/2012) Florida NBC debate, Newt Gingrich was called out for lobbying for Medicare expansion, and he went ahead and openly admitted that he is proud of publicly supporting Medicare Part D, but denied that he was a lobbyist.

MITT ROMNEY: ... that you came and lobbied them with regards to Medicare Part D, at the same time...

NEWT GINGRICH: Now, wait. Whoa, whoa.

MITT ROMNEY: ... your center was taking in contributions...

NEWT GINGRICH: You just jumped a long way over here, friend.

MITT ROMNEY: Well, another -- another area of influence-peddling.

(4 seconds pass)

NEWT GINGRICH: No, not -- now, let me be very clear, because I understand your technique, which you used on McCain, you used on Huckabee, you've used consistently, OK? It's unfortunate, and it's not going to work very well, because the American people see through it.

I have always publicly favored a stronger Medicare program. I wrote a book in 2002 called "Saving Lives and Saving Money." I publicly favored Medicare Part D for a practical reason, and that reason is simple. The U.S. government was not prepared to give people anything -- insulin, for example -- but they would pay for kidney dialysis. They weren't prepared to give people Lipitor, but they'd pay for open-heart surgery. That is a terrible way to run Medicare.

I am proud of the fact -- and I'll say this in Florida -- I'm proud of the fact that I publicly, openly advocated Medicare Part D. It has saved lives. It's run on a free enterprise model. It also included health savings accounts and it include Medicare alternatives, which gave people choices.

And I did it publicly, and it is not correct, Mitt -- I'm just saying this flatly, because you've been walking around this state saying things that are untrue -- it is not correct to describe public citizenship, having public advocacy as lobbying. Every citizen has the right to do that.

MITT ROMNEY: They sure do.

NEWT GINGRICH: And what I did on behalf of Medicare...

MITT ROMNEY: They sure do.

NEWT GINGRICH: ... I did out in the open, publicly, and that is my right as a citizen.

NBC MODERATOR BRIAN WILLIAMS: Gentlemen...

MITT ROMNEY: Here's why it's a problem, Mr. Speaker. Here's why it's a problem. And that is, if you're getting paid by health companies, if your entities are getting paid by health companies that could benefit from a piece of legislation, and you then meet with Republican congressmen and encourage them to support that legislation, you can call it whatever you'd like. I call it influence-peddling.

It is not right. It is not right. You have a conflict. You are -- you are being paid by companies at the same time you're encouraging people to pass legislation which is in their favor.

Dispute Over Gingrich’s Role In Medicare Part D

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSqGk765jT0[/ame]​

Medicare Part D is an entitlement expansion that forces the taxpayers to fund prescription drugs for seniors. It was passed in 2003 under a Republican-controlled Congress and Senate and signed by President George W. Bush. It is an economic disaster and was called "the most fiscally irresponsible piece of legislation since the 1960s" by David Walker, former U.S. Comptroller General. It stands as an unfunded liability to the tune of $15.5 Trillion.

For perspective of how big of an entitlement this is, Bruce Bartlett said the entire Social Security system ties up 1.3% of GDP, and Medicare Part D ties up 1.2% of GDP.

The 81% Tax Increase: To pay for government's promises on Social Security and Medicare - Bruce Bartlett (2009)

To summarize, we see that taxpayers are on the hook for Social Security and Medicare by these amounts: Social Security, 1.3% of GDP; Medicare part A, 2.8% of GDP; Medicare part B, 2.8% of GDP; and Medicare part D, 1.2% of GDP. This adds up to 8.1% of GDP. Thus federal income taxes for every taxpayer would have to rise by roughly 81% to pay all of the benefits promised by these programs under current law over and above the payroll tax.

Since many taxpayers have just paid their income taxes for 2008 they may have their federal returns close at hand. They all should look up the total amount they paid and multiply that figure by 1.81 to find out what they should be paying right now to finance Social Security and Medicare.

To put it another way, the total unfunded indebtedness of Social Security and Medicare comes to $106.4 trillion. That is how much larger the nation's capital stock would have to be today, all of it owned by the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, to generate enough income to pay all the benefits that have been promised over and above future payroll taxes. But the nation's total private net worth is only $51.5 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve. In effect, we have promised the elderly benefits equal to more than twice the nation's total wealth on top of the payroll tax.

Happy Birthday, Medicare Part D! Now Die! Die! Die! - Reason.com (2010)

The prescription drug plan is about the worst giveaway you could imagine, just a pure, unadulterated sop to a bunch of politically connected voters. When the plan was first being discussed, seniors were paying a whopping 3.2 percent of their income on pills annually - less than they did on entertainment. As Bartlett points out, George Bush and the House Republicans (including Speaker-elect John Boehner and budget whiz Paul Ryan) who voted overwhelmingly for it didn't even bother to pretend they were going to pay for it with tax hikes or spending cuts. Just an awful plundering of the young and relatively poor to give booty to the old and relatively flush.

 

[rambone]

Newt's pro-Medicare article (2003)



Conservatives Should Vote "Yes" On Medicare, by Newt Gingrich
Wall Street Journal, 11/20/2003

Every conservative member of Congress should vote for this Medicare bill. It is the most important reorganization of our nation's healthcare system since the original Medicare Bill of 1965 and the largest and most positive change in direction for the health system in 60 years for people over 65.

In a bold and unexpected move, the new Medicare bill includes a decisive shift to health savings accounts, which will allow every American to accumulate tax-free health dollars. HSAs allow account-owners to build savings and earn tax-free interest on their HSA contributions. HSA account owners can use their savings for tax-free spending on qualified health expenses, including health insurance premiums and deductibles, prescription drugs, and long-term care services including long-term care insurance.

If you are a fiscal conservative who cares about balancing the federal budget, there may be no more important vote in your career than one in support of this bill.

 

[ViperJock]

I'm guessing they didn't save money on kidney transplants and open heart surgery...

 

[steveh_131]

You have to spend money to save money, amirite?

 

[24Carat]

I'm, just let me guess here, assuming RB you aren't on Social Security Disability and without "D" coverage you've had to choose between medicine and food? As I said, just a guess. How would you address this oh so real world dilemma? Are some people sacrificial ?

 

[hornadylnl]

I'm, just let me guess here, assuming RB you aren't on Social Security Disability and without "D" coverage you've had to choose between medicine and food? As I said, just a guess. How would you address this oh so real world dilemma? Are some people sacrificial ?

So the producers are more worthy of sacrifice than the looters?

 

[steveh_131]

I'm, just let me guess here, assuming RB you aren't on Social Security Disability and without "D" coverage you've had to choose between medicine and food? As I said, just a guess. How would you address this oh so real world dilemma? Are some people sacrificial ?

Have you ever lived on $.09/day in a third world country? Ever had to choose between feeding your son and feeding your daughter?

Maybe we should start taking away your money and sending it overseas.

How would you address this oh so real world dilemma?

 

[rambone]

I'm, just let me guess here, assuming RB you aren't on Social Security Disability and without "D" coverage you've had to choose between medicine and food? As I said, just a guess. How would you address this oh so real world dilemma? Are some people sacrificial ?

Do you feel entitled to free drugs?

The people who promised you free socialized medicine were liars. This system is unfunded by many Trillions of dollars. To keep up, they'll just print FRNs until everyone is living in 3rd World status.

If I had to choose between drugs and food, I would choose food. You'd be surprised how many ways you can improve your health through a proper diet.

 

[24Carat]

Do you feel entitled to free drugs?

The people who promised you free socialized medicine were liars. This system is unfunded by many Trillions of dollars. To keep up, they'll just print FRNs until everyone is living in 3rd World status.

If I had to choose between drugs and food, I would choose food. You'd be surprised how many ways you can improve your health through a proper diet.

What diet is it that produces insulin, replaces missing cartilage in joints, repairs inoperable displaced disks, stops lesions from forming on the brain and spinal cord, reverses cancerous tumor growth, treats Bi-polar etc, etc, etc ?

 

[24Carat]

Do you feel entitled to free drugs?

The people who promised you free socialized medicine were liars. This system is unfunded by many Trillions of dollars. To keep up, they'll just print FRNs until everyone is living in 3rd World status.

If I had to choose between drugs and food, I would choose food. You'd be surprised how many ways you can improve your health through a proper diet.

Entitled? Free? I've worked since I was 11 years old, started paying for my "free entitlement" every friggin week at 16 years of age. Had to, no choice involved, stop working at 50. Good research and therapies has me back at full time employment. Was I a burden to you?

 

[rambone]

Entitled? Free? I've worked since I was 11 years old, started paying for my "free entitlement" every friggin week at 16 years of age. Had to, no choice involved, stop working at 50. Good research and therapies has me back at full time employment. Was I a burden to you?

Medicare is an entitlement program by anyone's definition. I'm happy you contributed something, but not everybody does. Although most of your life you did not pay for Medicare Part D, since it was invented in 2003. The program is a burden on all of us, and Newt helped make it a bigger burden.

 

[Double T]

Do you feel entitled to free drugs?

The people who promised you free socialized medicine were liars. This system is unfunded by many Trillions of dollars. To keep up, they'll just print FRNs until everyone is living in 3rd World status.

If I had to choose between drugs and food, I would choose food. You'd be surprised how many ways you can improve your health through a proper diet.

There is one thing that cannot happen and that is cutting costs of medicaid or medicare.? There are people who will die as a result. I am not ****ting you.

There are kids who are living and breathing due to medicaid funding. My patient's home care hour were just cut down to 4 nights a week and4 days.

The caregiver has to care instead of sleeping...and work the next day. This is a shame. Others, by the thousands probly, are going through similar cuts...

It's only a matter of time...ie tonight...the PCG will be too tired...fall into deep sleep...and not hear their childs ventilator alarm sounding.

Are you telling me this child is not worth giving at least enough nursing care to allow the caregiver tonwork and sleep?? Let alone have a life aside from being within earshot of an alarm?

I've held my tongue in a lot of BS here, but if by cutting funds, it means helpless people dying, then I see no benefit in cutting costs...

The problem is that a person who makes less than 50k a year can pay in 2k and get a 9k tax refund. We should NOT receive back more than we actually gave the government.

Also need to cut the BS military spending. Quit fighting for everyone.

Also, You may not like it, but universal healthcare: preventative oral, vision, and healthcare checkups should be paid for through taxes. Testing for abnormalities should be covered.

There are lots of superfluous expenditures that need to be cut, and healthcare is not one of them.

Why all the negativity anyway?

 

[Double T]

Medicare is an entitlement program by anyone's definition. I'm happy you contributed something, but not everybody does. Although most of your life you did not pay for Medicare Part D, since it was invented in 2003. The program is a burden on all of us, and Newt helped make it a bigger burden.

How is it a burden? I say medicaid is essential. You keep saying all this stuff is bad, well...wtf is good?

It's not a burden. If it is you need to find a new place to call home then, i would much rather live here than anywhere else

 

[steveh_131]

How is it a burden? I say medicaid is essential. You keep saying all this stuff is bad, well...wtf is good?

Essential?

How did people ever form civilizations before medicaid existed? You apparently have a strange definition of 'essential'.

What is good? Charity is good. Family supporting each other is good. People giving to each other freely is good.

Do you feel bad for that family? Offer an extra night of care for free. Help them out. Forcing others to help them out is not noble and it is not the solution.

 

[Double T]

Iamnot legally allowed to work for free. Well, I can, but I have to pay my company a huge amount due to their "loss" of revenue.

Yes, it is essential. Back in the day there weren't a lot of home ventilators, so this wasn't even an issue.

So basically the stance is to return the vents due to no insurance...and pull the plug on these people?

Awesome.

 

[rambone]

So do you favor the Medicare Part D expansion plan from 2003...?

 

[ATOMonkey]

Death is a fact of life.

I don't know when we stopped accepting this basic premise of existence.

 

[steveh_131]

Iamnot legally allowed to work for free. Well, I can, but I have to pay my company a huge amount due to their "loss" of revenue.

I'm sure there are people out there who are not clients of your company who would appreciate your free help with their special needs children.

Want to save the world? That's how you start. Not by stealing from others.

 

[24Carat]

Death is a fact of life.

I don't know when we stopped accepting this basic premise of existence.

The only real problem with death is it takes to damn long !

 

[ATOMonkey]

The only real problem with death is it takes to damn long !

Not if you do it right...