March 13, 2013--Freudian Slip?

When revealing details of his latest budget, including his plan to eliminate Obamacare and radically change Medicaid and Medicare, at his press conference, Congressman Paul Ryan let this slip out:

"This to us is something that we're not going to give up on, because we're not going to give up on destroying the health care system for the American people."

He actually said this. For doubters, it's available on YouTube. 

Even grads of Psych 101 can figure this one out--he is telling the truth, not misspeaking.

The plan remains the plan--to balance the budget in 10 years and not raise taxes on the wealthy or close corporate loopholes, without seriously cutting defense spending, the only place to go for Ryan and his colleagues (the GOP in the House will pass this latest budget next week) is Medicare and Medicaid.

So, he claims, to close the budget gap Obamacare has to be repealed since it mandates that through federally-funded Medicaid 27 million low-income people not now covered will be provided with health care; and Medicare has to be radically cut in order to come up with the trillions in savings Ryan claims are needed to balance the budget.

His plan again requires that Medicare be turned into a subsidized, private insurance scheme. People would be given vouchers to buy insurance. Two big problems--

Medicare is the highest quality, most cost-effective health delivery system we have. To turn it over to for-profit insurers will assure it will no longer remain so.

And, second, his voucher plan is far too modest to enable seniors to purchase private insurance on the open market because what insurer, seeking profits, would sell an 70 year-old health insurance for even $10,000 a year, which is more than the Ryan voucher would give to 70 year-olds. People would have the close the considerable gap out of their own pockets. On average, at least $8,000 a year to retain coverage that is currently available under Medicare.

If Ryan were serious about cutting the deficit he should take note of the fact that the annual deficit has already been reduced by half since Obama took office and with more modest spending cuts and enhanced revenues, it could be wiped out without that much fiscal pain, sequesters, or other gimmicks.

Ryan is leading House members out onto a politically weak limb while at the same time reactionary governors around the country are clamoring to get Obamacare services and money to their states as they compete with each other to expand Medicaid via the resources offered through the Affordable Care Act.

Rick Scott in Florida and Jan Brewer in Arizona are just two Republican governors who resisted and then rejected Obamacare who have now done a 180 and are lining up to take advantage of it.

Irony of ironies. 

In the meantime, Ryan has told us he will continue to work to destroy the health care system for Americans, forgetting how the Supreme Court ruled on Obamacare and which candidate in November won the vice presidency.