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Subscribe to RSSRepublicans have claimed President Obama's health care reforms slashed more than $700 billion from Medicare, but the president said he has strengthened the health insurance program. NBC's Kristen Welker reports.
DUBUQUE, IA -- President Obama today pushed back on Republican claims that he’s cutting Medicare and turned the criticism back on his challengers Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, accusing them of wanting to overhaul Medicare to the detriment of seniors.
Speaking to a crowd of more than 3,000 on the banks of the Mississippi River here, the president first countered charges from Romney and his surrogates that his administration is cutting more than $700 billion in Medicare spending to transfer it to the new health care law.
“They are just throwing everything at the wall to see if it sticks,” he said. “Here’s what you need to know: I have strengthened Medicare. I have made reforms that have saved millions of seniors with Medicare hundreds of dollars on their prescriptions,” he continued, as the crowd cheered.
As First Read has written before, Obama’s plan would slow the growth of Medicare spending, but the cuts would mostly affect insurance and health-care providers, not seniors. Plus, Paul Ryan’s budget plan contains the same cuts.
After defending his own plan, the president shifted to offense, tying Romney to Ryan’s Medicare plan, which would give future seniors a voucher or premium support -- to purchase private insurance or purchase it through Medicare.
Larry Downing / Reuters
President Obama speaks at a campaign event at the Alliant Energy Amphitheater in Dubuque, Iowa, August 15.
“Mr. Romney and his running mate have a very different plan. They want to turn Medicare into a voucher program.,” he said. “That means seniors would no longer have the guarantee of Medicare; they’d get a voucher to buy private insurance.”
He wrapped up his riff on Medicare with a sharply worded contrast between his plan and that of his Republican opponents.
“Their plan ends Medicare as we know it. My plan reduces the cost of Medicare by cracking down on fraud and waste and subsidies to insurance companies. Their plan makes seniors pay more so they can give another tax cut to millionaires and billionaires.”
In response to Obama's volleys, the Romney campaign doubled down on its claims, releasing a statement from spokesman Ryan Williams that the president "has a long history of launching shameful political attacks on Medicare -- but he's the only person in the race who has actually cut Medicare. President Obama cut $716 billion from Medicare to pay for Obamacare and our nation's seniors will pay the price with higher costs and fewer benefits."
Steve McMahon, Anne Kornblut and Michael Steele join The Daily Rundown to discuss the latest happenings on the campaign trail.
Williams added that Romney "will always protect this vital program for seniors and strengthen it for future generations."
The president was introduced here by his wife Michelle, who joins him for a full day of campaigning in Iowa. She took a softer tone, reminiscing about their 2008 days in the nation’s first caucus state that jump-started Obama’s campaign.
“Thank you for the kindness and generosity and love that you have shown us throughout the state,” the first lady said to cheers.
She seemed to make a call for a more issues-based discourse in contrast with the name-calling and hot rhetoric that has marked the last few weeks on the trail.
“Because of you,” Michelle said of Iowa voters, “Barack and I will always remember what this process can be about at its very best. Every election, you remind us what democracy is all about. It is about people getting into the issues, discussing them with their neighbors,” she said.
The Obamas have one more campaign stop in Iowa -- further east in Davenport.
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Watching Obama and Biden is like watching a really, really, really, bad B movie. Next they are going to show a bunch of headless black people in chains being chased by a Godzilla like monster with Romney's head on it. And the funny part is, all the libs will believe it is real!
The President plans to reduce Medicare costs by reducing fraud and waste. And you believe that? The government can't manage Amtrack profitably. The Post Office. The GSA agency. And have you ever looked at the government controlled VA hospitals? Or government managed healthcare on Indian reservations? All of this is going to be thrust upon each of us under Obamacare. Better to let competition enter into the equation and less government intervention.
Competition.... how laughable !!!
Until you get the profit motive out of the U.S. health care system like every other country with a brain has done in this world.
The U.S. Health care system will remain the total pile of S-hit it has always been and will remain the single biggest threat to crashing our economy.
64% of every bankruptcy declared in this country is the result of peoples Medical issues and their inabilty to pay !!! And Republicans want to solve the same B-ull-S-hit system down our throats based of profits and competition.
WAKE UP ASS-HOLES !!!
The Post Office is not part of the government nor are Indian Reservations. They are sovereign.
Obama/Biden 2012
Already has its called the ACA,How about getting informed!
The Obama/Biden Theme Song:
Let me tell you how it will be
There's one for you, nineteen for me
'Cause I'm the taxman
Yeah, I'm the taxman
Should five percent appear too smallBe thankful I don't take it all'Cause I'm the taxmanYeah, I'm the taxman
(If you drive a car, car)I'll tax the street(If you try to sit, sit)I'll tax your seat(If you get too cold, cold)I'll tax the heat(If you take a walk, walk)I'll tax your feet(Taxman)
'Cause I'm the taxmanYeah, I'm the taxman
Don't ask me what I want it for(Ha ha, Mr. Wilson)If you don't want to pay some more(Ha ha, Mr. Heath)'Cause I'm the taxmanYeah, I'm the taxman
Now my advice for those who die(Taxman)Declare the pennies on your eyes(Taxman)'Cause I'm the taxmanYeah, I'm the taxmanAnd you're working for no one but me(Taxman)
Paul Ryan sponsored bills to ban abortion with no exception for rape or incest, IVF and hormonal birth control and forcing women seeking abortions to have a medically unnecessary ultrasound.
Text of the bills here, showing the Sponsors' names.
Personhood/Contraception/IVF
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.212:
Ultrasound
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c112:H.R.3805.IH:/
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:HR03805:@@@P
And someone PLEASE explain how Romney can distance himself from his own health care system he implemented while he was governor of Massachusetts.
Seems very hypocritical that he plans to gut ACA on "day one".
I'am trying!!!!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012
Diane
Mass was in a unique situation with the highest number insured of any state with 76% of employers providing health insurance.
Romney care is a open free market system in which those without insurance can choose plans.
The plan also had a 60% approval rating.
Romney exercised the states right under article 10 of the constitution. Obamacare is an compulsory insurance mechanism with no choice and is not an open free market system.
Romney wiil be allowing the same as president read Kaiser health news article-Romney on health care.
Mitt Romney is a conniving liar who would say anything and distort any fact to become President.
The F-ucking cock-sucker won't even touch Mass. health care reform his....Signature legislation as Gov. of Mass. and now lies and claims Obama is cutting Medicare when nothing could be further from the truth.
A better title for this story would be "Obama Continues to Lie About Medicare". He is shamelessly dishonest. Obama is a loser.
OBama is a disaster
he should step down over
fast and furious
He should get re elected for giving the order to kill the mentor of 9-11.
Yes, lets re-elect him for making one NO-BRAINER decision. Who cares that he's bankrupting the country.
I think that was the toughest decission he made in office. (kind of like asking your kids if they want to go to DisneyLand, or to the Dentist? ) I agree it is a no brainer.
Medicare has got to be reformed or it will be bankrupt, or bankrupt the country, within the next twenty years.
Lies of the GOP & Paul Ryan TeaWackers, Mitt R. Bain, Citizens United and all the Alec corps ( WALMART ): that pay off the Politician. Its all about the Wealthy getting richer and the middle class getting poorer.....They don't want to help the poor, I do mean the poor not the lazy good for nothings...Who are the one's that leach off the taxpayer. The Wealthy: they get welfare both for themselves an for the Corps. ...But it seems that the Wealthy get away with it ..They steal billions and the few poor steals a few thousands. So what does the GOP want, is Screw the MIddle Class to get even with the few. As I say its the me me me and F everyone else.... The failures of the Republicans party trying to take away SS & Medicare & Health care for Woman so they can give their wealthy Blackmailers more money...To hell with the Poor and Needy. Let them freeze in the winter and stave the Old and Babies,let them die from bad water, do away with the EPA and thats what you'll have, just like all you Tea baggers want...You make me sick with your Me Me Me altitude. It just a matter of time before the masses raise up against you . Greedy and you all call yourself a REAL Christians, Mormans. What a laugh: Wake up...Sounds like Mitt!!!!!!Fuss up your tax Return.....
You failed to mention the millions the Unions (both civil and privite) that extrot benifits for the millions they pay the politicans for each year. The poor How much money do the liberials give to Chirches that have soup kitchens, and other food and shelter programs for the poor, that they want the government to take over. Of course the Government does it with less efficeny, and more money. The world has always had poor and needy. Through the centries there have always been groups/people who helped them. Now the govenment wants to stop this. The Rich pay both Democrats and Republicans to get special deals. You need to change the tax laws to stop this, cut the deductions for lobbing. The Obama program has changed over 5 million middle class families to poor families. Besides what is middlee class? Many poor people have two vehicles, more then one large flat screen, and other things that were considered middle class, a few years back. SS and Medicare are ponzy schemes. Workers now are paying for retirees, and dependant children and families, that never contrubted to them. Retirees are taking out more then 4 times what they paid into it. And the younger generation paying into it with no chance of getting anything back. Anything doing this except for the government would have been arrested years ago for doing something like this. They should have made both personal accounts controled by the person not the government. The EPA has gone out of control. They take peoples land, under the gise of "wetlands" even though there is no water within 10 miles or more. They would kill people to save a lizard, or fish. and were in the Constution are they mentioned? Just another government agency to take away our rights. Just remember that the masses are very fickel, they tend to turn on themselves (you) very easily, the French Revoltion comes to mind. Just like the Occupy Wall Street. they cost the middle class taxpayers a lot more then they benifited them, because of all the damage they did to the communites. You sure do not now Tea Party, Consertive, or Republicans very well from what you said.
Hey True Patriot how many lies can you make in one day? Maybe you need to do some research on big pharma and the government. You're clueless. The federal government demands rebates from anyone who services any federal program. If you don't pay you can't play. That is called extorsion. They do it to the drug companies, the doctors, the pharmacies, hospitals, nursing homes and the providers of durable goods.
Now guess where the income is made up? Yeah in the private sector with high premiums. Only a fool thinks that you get something for nothing. Read the freakin legislation before you make comments. Lies are lies.
I have watched my premium go from $12,500 per year to $36,000 for next year. Want to guess why? By adding the additional coverages, most of which I will never use and making up the difference for the short fall in government reimbursements.
If you are in the private sector I really hope your employer sticks it to you and if you are in the public sector I hope they dump you into Obamacare next year. One way or another you are going to find it more difficult to find good physicians. I know more that are going to cash only next year. You figure out how you get your money back from the insurance companies.
commonsense
Obamatax has hit my wife's Medicare Advantage which is going away by 2014 thanks to Obamatax.
For 2013 she will lose her vision and dental benefit unless Romney gets in.
I have looked at Romneys proposals and they are on Kaiser Health news article- Romney on health care and my wife was very excited.
My wife has not voted in over 20 years but after witnessing the Obamatax horror first hand and reading the Romney plan she is voting Romney
While true the plans contain many of the same items, Obama's could have cut them more simply then just taking out 700 billion to pay for Obamacare. He should have left that money there. Instead he should have places limits on lawsuits. (looser pays all court fees, and plase reasonible penalitys. ) This would have saved seniors billions alone. Also give discounts on healthy living, that cuts medical costs. At least with a vodure you can shop around for the best deal, for you. not some one size fits all. Then have some board three thousand miles away decide if you are worth enough, to get the care you need. I am soory But I am Worth It.
300micheal
there is no tort on Obamatax because it was written by the same greedy trial lawyers behind closed doors of HHS. which violates Article 7 of the Constitution.
Oh I forgot Obama has made a mockery of our constitution since day one.
"President Obama today pushed back on Republican claims that he’s cutting Medicare and turned the criticism back on his challengers Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, accusing them of wanting to overhaul Medicare to the detriment of seniors."Really? Turned the criticism back? No, what he did was lie. The CBO has scored his "Affordable Care Act" and it cuts 761 billion out of medicare immediately. Period, end of story.
He's a lying SOB. More and more the simple minded and the truly stupid are starting to realize what they elected as President and it likely won't happen again.
They won't vote for Romney. They just won't vote.
How are all you brain washed goose stepping slaves this evening! Brain dead tax paying sheep! Awh yes I hope my words have lit a fire under your Azzes! Freewill people (think for self) Step away from the propaganda before you overdose on bullshyt!!!!!
Interest rates on five-year certificates of deposit (CDs) – a popular savings vehicle in the U.S. – dropped below 1% for the first time on record.
The national average for a five-year CD is 0.99%, according to data from research firm Market Rates Insight. Compare that to August 2000, when the average interest rate for a five-year CD was 6.25%
We are going in the right direction. lol
Step away from the cumputer and go outside take a walk exercise it might save Ur fat azzes from diabetes over medication heart attack and allot of other shyt! Get your fat azzes of Obamacare and on a tredmill, then you won't need their slave lord shyt!
PR release for Obama's first book.
“Barack Obama, the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, was born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia and Hawaii. The son of an American anthropologist and a Kenyan finance minister, he attended Columbia University and worked as a financial journalist and editor for Business International Corporation. He served as project coordinator in Harlem for the New York Public Interest Research Group, and was Executive Director of the Developing Communities Project in Chicago’s South Side. His commitment to social and racial issues will be evident in his first book, Journeys in Black and White.”
You birthers don't have one ounce of credibility. Did you know Romney is actually the leader of the Martian invasion and John McCain was born in Panama.
Funny that those that don't like the exerts about Obama forget those come straight from his own book.
Libs are so in live with the idea of Obama they will rationalize anything that is not rational.
Ron, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the $718 Billion in costs shifted to ACA over 10 years was due to projected cost savings from fraud prevention and insurance company overcharges. Seniors are guaranteed their health coverage under Medicare with the Obama Plan.
PauL Ryan and Mitt Romney are lying about this. The CBO has an impeccable reputation and people in the know, know it. So stop being so stubborn and accept the fact the CBO is telling the truth here.
KAMO, born in Kenya. Really. Only nuts believe that garbage anymore. You obviously are in need of help for your Trump-itis.
Shaak, you act like I wrote this PR release. This was a PR release for his own book. You can't make this stuff up.
shaak322
Im talking about the book and words that Obama allegedly wrote. Hence "straight from his own book." How you managed to come up with Kenya from that is something between you and you.
I don't care where he was born, he needs to be voted out of office. I sure hope for the good of this country he becomes a private citizen on January 20, 2013.
Don't blame they had to make their Affirmative action quota!
Their conning you with Frank Dodd to steel your money and your houses! Fake azz government insurance that is causing medical cost to spiral out of control, Democrats Blame Republicans Blame Liberals! Wars that ocomplish nothing and go nowhere because we don't win! Wake up sheep! Your Vote means Nothing Its a reality show!
PA voter suppression laws = Mass National Boycott. I guarantee that if the Right-Wing voter agenda causes an unfair result, we will boycott everything and collasp the financial industry. No movies, no buses, no trains, no buying of American Products. We will sink America financially if we cannot vote. Do you still have to pay taxes if you can't vote? If these Right-Wingers support this travesty then they better think about thier own homes. Either we are all Americans or we are not. So take that as a prelude Right-Wingers. Rrestrict my vote and I and millions of others will bring this economy to its knees and that's a promise. I will encourage people not to buy American!
Musa Isa Muhammed, you support Barack Obama right?
musla you really are f--ked up dude.
There seem to be a lot of questions regarding the new health care law. The President promised to go over the health care bill, "line by line", with my congressman and that all proceedings would be broadcast on CSPAN. The President should schedule these broadcasts immediately because there is not much time left in his first term, he is not assured of having a second term, and it is a very long bill with a lot of additional material that needs to be gone over so that the public can gain an adequate understanding of this new law.
Does anyone actually believe this?
Yea, I do as well as anyone else with a pulse. As well as Pulitzer Prize winning economist David Kay Johnson.
Wow, Intrepid very gullible.
David Stockman, who was Reagan's budget director believes Paul Ryan's plan takes money from medicare and medicaid to give the wealthy welfare. The tax cuts don't make sense. There is no history post JFK to show that tax cuts help the economy. Plus, the plan doesn't even balance the budget or eliminate the debt in the future. Romneyhood! Taking from the poor, elderly, and middle class to give to the rich to tinkle the money overseas.
Brian, keep talking. The more you talk the less relevent you become.
UMMM.....JFK and Obama.
Romney is is not the president but needs to present a plan in full prior to people voting, YET Obama is the president and has not proposed one plan.
Brian is correct Reagan's budget director did say that about Ryans plan.
Cheney also said Palin was a mistake.
Newt a Conservative and co writer for contract of America is Broke and got a hand out from the Republican Party.
Fox declared Obama care overturned Along with Rush. and Reported much more BS then anyone else. Murdoch? hack
For those that do believe, i suggest you check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5Ha7RNpn24
then talk about how you've been foolish to believe anything this man says.
Any chance I could buy some votes from a congressman with a voucher?
Yes, it is called the Dem Party. But....the voucher will have to be paid for my someone else.
NO, I'm pretty sure I am paying for it out of my paycheck and I got no interest in using a coupon gimmick for what's being taken out. Thats what's wrong with Republican's, the money is coming out of my check and even though it ain't as much as a billionaire pays, the billionaire thinks he is paying for mine.
no but you can try food stamps?
Does MSNBC recruit journalistic prostitutes or do they lure them in and seduce them into selling their integrity? Way to squander your reputation and talent Ali...
Dan -- I love your comment, sadly I think its true.
Andrea Mitchell...nuf said....
Rev Al
Crazy Ed
Lawrence and Rachel
But on the other hand they do like to play reruns of the prison show all weekend
New acroynym for OMG = Obama Must Go!
Things could be worse re-elect Obama and he prove it!
The best of all is Jackass Joe Biden telling a largely black audience in Virginia (referring to Romney/Ryan) "... they wanna put y'all back in chains..." Well I'm not Black but that is irresponsible, reprehensible and divisive and disrespectful to all people.
I would argue that Obie and co. wanna promote class warfare.
Romney and Ryan aren't perfect but they are lightyears better than the Obie & Joe Show!
Dont you know Chris Mathews said that Joe just being Joe and he, Chris, knows exactly what Joe meant.
Funny how MSNBC folks always know what someone meant and not what they said if they are Libs. If they are conservatives, then what they said MUST have a nasty meaning or hidden code word behind it.
Both sides do the same thing no one is innocent. If people start posting what both sides say and lie about no one else would be able to post comments.
Obama caught in a lie again. Doesn't he remember being interviewed back in 09 explaining his rational for taking 500 billion from medicare to fund his health care law? Its also incorporated into the law. He should just watch the video of the interview. Its been playing all day long on Fox! The CBO has now revised that amount to 700 billion. Seems to me what Romney might do to medicare if he is president is secondary to what he has already done to it.
The money from Medicare Advantage has been put back into medicare. Opposed to Vaginal Prober Ryan's idea of taking 750 billion and using it to give tax cuts for the wealthy to tinkle overseas.
AMERICANS- YOU MUST SEE THIS VIDEO-@ www.theblaze.com if you want the truth !