The Ryan AARP Boo Fest!!!

Sure Paul Ryan was booed by the AARP crowd. Those in attendance knew better. But if you were to try and find out just how Ryan lied, good luck. From my research, the press almost never mentioned how the Affordable Care Act lengthened Medicare's solvency by 12 years, which would have countered Ryan's claim it did not.

Here's the video, put together from multiple sources (Rachel Maddow, CBS, ABC, Ed Schultz), followed by information I was able to dig up. Oddly, even MSNBC cut off the all too important crowd boos:



Is Medicare going broke, and did “Obamacare” shortenMedicare’s solvency, as Paul Ryan claimed in his speech to AARP? The Fact Checkers and the Washington Post proved Ryan’sclaims to be a lie:

WaPo: We are not talking about all of Medicare, just the partthat covers hospital visits, hospice care, nursing facilities and the like.Part B, which involves seeing a doctor, is paid out of general funds andpremiums. Moreover, though the fund would be “depleted,” it would NOT be“penniless” or “broke.” That is because the government could still cover 87percent of estimated expenses in 2024 — and 67 percent in 2050 … but it doesn’tmean that the fund is bankrupt.

Already, in the Obama health care law, a surtax was addedthat would hit wealthy Americans, which extended the “insolvency” date by 12years. Congress has also moved some functions from Part A to Part B toextend the life of the fund. It’s also important to remember that the PartA fund has from its inception been on the brink of going “broke.” Page 4 of a usefulreport by the Congressional Research Service , titled “Medicare:History of Insolvency Projections,” shows that in 1970 it was due to go “broke”in 1972.

The AARP crowd knew much this already, and told Ryan so:

WaPo: “Lie!” one woman in the crowd yelled as others booed.“Liar!” yelled another.
The crowd was silent for most of Ryan’s speech and applaudedhim as he took the stage and left it. But some attendees responded with louddisapproval of Ryan’s attack on Obama and when Ryan described his own Medicareplan. At one point, when Ryan told the crowd that “all that we need now isleaders who have the political will to save and strengthen Social Security,”one man quipped: “Got one!”

At other points in the speech, scattered attendees yelledout, “No vouchers!” and “Tax the 1 percent!”

Here’s a short transcript of Ryan’s ridiculouspronouncements:

RYAN: "Today, our nation faces a political turning point.Government mismanagement and political cowardice are threatening both sides ofLBJ's pledge. Seniors are threatened by Obamacare, a law that would force steepcuts to real benefits in real time for real people." [Shouts, boos.]

"Meanwhile — [boos] — meanwhile, younger Americans areburdened by an ever-growing national debt and a diminished future. Here's the good news. By embracing common-sensereforms now, we can get ahead of the problem and keep promises people haveorganized their lives around. You see, if we reform Medicare for my generation,we can protect it for those in or near retirement today." [Applause.]

"The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repealObamacare, because it represents the worst of both worlds. [Boos.] "I had a feeling there would be mixed reactions, so letme get into it. [Boos.] It weakens Medicare for today's seniors and puts it atrisk for the next generation. [Boos.] First, it funnels $716 billion out ofMedicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. [Boos.] Second,it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare's future."

And private business has become more dependent on taxpayerdollars, which means, “behave or else.”

NY Times: Enrollment is up and premiums are down in MedicareAdvantage. John K. Gorman, a former Medicare official who is now aconsultant with clients in the insurance industry, said: “Today’s announcementshows that there is a new sheriff in town. Medicare officials were veryspecific and very forceful. Insurers succumbed to the government’s demands andstayed in the Medicare market because they have become much more dependent onMedicare business.”