Seniors Should Die
From American Progress:
"Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) ? a longtime advocate for a meaningful prescription drug benefit ? is expected to address Medicare and health care issues in his speech to the Democratic National Convention tonight. His address is well timed: yesterday, the Bush administration released 1342 pages of proposed regulations for the final prescription drug benefit which takes effect in 2006.
Starting in 2006, the new law will enable large corporations to collect massive government subsidies even if they significantly rollback their retiree prescription drug benefit. The new regulations make corporations eligible for government subsidies of up to $940 per retiree as long as they provide drug coverage that mimics the Medicare drug law. The proposed rules give companies four different ways for companies to demonstrate they are doing so. But most companies already provide drug coverage which is superior to the new Medicare benefit. Thus, companies could collect the subsidy even as they roll back coverage ? at a total cost to taxpayers of $89 billion over ten years.
While the administration found plenty of cash for corporations, many seniors with high drug costs will be left in the lurch. After paying an average of $420 in premiums and a $250 deductible seniors are still responsible for paying up to 25% of their drug costs up to $2,250 a year. But seniors with drug costs in excess of $2,250 a year, even though they will continue to pay premiums and have satisfied their deductible will receive no assistance whatsoever for their next $2850 in prescription drug costs. This gap, known as "the donut," has many seniors justifiably concerned about their ability to pay their drug bills in the event of a serious illness. But Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson dismissed their concerns saying "Only a pessimist would look at a doughnut and complain about a hole."
So basically, they?re planning to bleed the senior citizens of this county dry. I can only follow this to its logical conclusion: you bankrupt seniors so that they can?t afford their prescription drugs, they stop taking the prescription drugs because they can?t afford them, they start dying because they?re not taking their prescription drugs and they end up saving the government a ton of money on nursing homes and old-person paraphernalia.
Of course there will be some who will be able to take advantage of Medicaid but it?ll only be a matter of time before the drain on resources becomes unbearable and the system crashes allowing for the cycle to perpetuate itself.
It?s like a reverse abortion. Or a more drawn-out euthanasia every human being has the right to life. Unless you?re old. Then you need to die and die fast.
