You have to wonder?
Registered voters nationwide narrowly trust Mitt Romney over President Barack Obama to handle Medicare, according to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll released Monday.
-
TPM - ABC/WaPo Poll: Romney Has Slight Advantage On Medicare
I know we can turn this around... especially when we have this other piece of news this morning.
The 2008 Republican party platform on Medicare and Medicaid was pretty vanilla. It called for minor tweaks to the program that just about any health wonk could get behind, things like better coordination between doctors and more vigilance against fraud. The whole section came in at about 200 words.
Politico has obtained a draft of the 2012 proposal and, for health care, four years has meant a sea change. The Republican party now throws its weight behind a complete restructuring of both entitlement programs.
Since Medicare and Medicaid were created in 1965, they have operated as insurance plans where subscribers receive a set amount of benefits. The Republican plan calls for a fundamental change to that structure. They want to set a specific budget for the program and then have seniors and states figure out what benefits they can purchase. The concept of “defined benefit” gets thrown out the window.
-
Sarah Kliff - The Republican plan to overhaul health care
This is huge. It's not only in the Ryan Plan. IT'S IN THE PARTY PLATFORM AT THE CONVENTION.
WE NEED TO HIT THEM HARD WITH THIS.
The concept of “defined benefit” gets thrown out the window.
More observations below...
Part of the reason behind this inconsistancy is this:
10. Regardless of who you support, which candidate do you trust to do a better job
[ITEM] - (Obama) or (Romney)?
8/25/12 – Summary Table GEN POP
Both Neither No
Obama Romney (vol.) (vol.) opinion14
a. Handling the economy 44 46 * 5 4
b. Dealing with the federal
budget deficit 39 48 * 8 5
c. Handling health care policy 49 42 * 6 3
d. Dealing with social issues
such as abortion and gay marriage 55 34 2 5 4
e. Handling energy policy 49 37 1 5 8
f. Supporting small business 49 42 1 4 4
g. Handling international affairs 48 37 2 6 8
h. Handling education 47 37 2 6 8
i. Handling taxes 46 44 1 5 5
j. Handling Medicare, the government
health insurance program for seniors 43 42 1 7 7
So that's the first question... then they ask about Ryan's plan....
26. As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan proposed a budget that would cut federal spending; cut taxes, including those paid by wealthy Americans and corporations; and restructure the Medicare and Medicaid insurance programs. Given what you know about this budget plan, would you say you support it strongly, support it somewhat, oppose it somewhat or oppose it strongly?
-------- Support -------- -------- Oppose --------- No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion 22
8/25/12 47 20 27 44 17 28 9
8/25/12 RV 47 22 25 45 16 29 8
and ONLY THEN do they actually describe what's in it:
27. Under Ryan’s Medicare plan, starting in 10 years people no longer would receive specific Medicare benefits when they turn 65. Instead they would receive a credit for money that they could use to buy insurance, either from the private market or from the government. How do you feel about this proposal to restructure Medicare – would you say you support it strongly, support it somewhat, oppose it somewhat or oppose it strongly?
-------- Support -------- -------- Oppose --------- No
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly opinion
8/25/12 31 11 20 64 21 43 5
8/25/12 RV 33 12 21 62 20 42 5
Note the ordering of the questions.
"Who was trusted" was asked first.
The question that actually let respondents know what the Ryan/Romney plan do was asked last. And then the Ryan/Romney plan was extremely disliked 33/62.
The should ask that Medicare question again.