Watch as former half-term Alaska Governor Sarah Palin calls President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi liars and says the Republicans are actually trying to “save” Medicare while the Democrats are killing it.
It’s worth noting that while Sarah Palin has busied herself by attacking President Obama and Democrats for trying to “kill” Medicare, Palin’s own record when it comes to managing her state’s Medicaid program was less than stellar, with a report finding that over 250 Alaskans died due to a “lack of state controls” in Alaska while Palin was governor:
“Doctors and other health care providers wrote to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid with concerns that the state wasn’t responsive. Some alleged that the lack of state controls “has resulted in the death(s) of the active clients,” the federal review said.
While the people served are frail and suffer from chronic health issues, the state never investigated to determine if any failure in service contributed to the deaths, the federal review found.
“Thus, if someone passed away because a (personal care assistant) did not show up, for example, there was no indication this would have been reported or investigated,” the report said.”
Putting aside Palin’s own mismanagement of Medicaid as Governor of Alaska, let’s look at her claim that Democrats are actually trying to “kill” Medicare while Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan would actually save Medicare. According to a
“Starting in 2022, Medicare beneficiaries would receive a voucher to pay for private insurance. In the first year of the plan, a beneficiary would pay 61 cents for services that he would have paid 27 cents for under traditional Medicare, while the government contribution is unchanged: 39 cents. Why are they, in combination, paying more for the same services? Because private plans cost more than traditional Medicare. Thereafter, the value of the voucher grows more slowly than health care costs so by 2030 the government is paying just 32 cents while the beneficiary is paying 68 cents for that same set of services.”
I know Sarah Palin likes to play fast and loose with the facts, but if she wants to be taken seriously as a possible presidential candidate (which I’m betting she doesn’t), she should really take some time to learn the facts. Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2012 budget won’t “save” Medicaid or Medicare; all it would do is fundamentally alter each program in a way that’s not likely to benefit – and is likely to hurt – the individuals who receive services from those programs.
H/T to PoliticusUSA.
This is great! Republicans have realized that gutting old people’s healthcare is a bad tactical choice, since the oldsters vote, and so now they’re backpedaling and blatantly trying to pretend that things are the opposite of what they are. Does Palin really not think people will see through this? It’s the oldest trick in the book!
Well, Half-term Sarah certainly knows a thing or two (or three) about stretching the truth. Most times she’s not really lyings (aka: Paul Revere, Russia, etc.) She’s just totally misinformed.