Ryan 2

I was not quite sure what the meaning of demagogue was until the recent discussions of Paul Ryan’s plan for Medicare. Remarks like, “it will throw grandma into the streets” and “disabled children will be left to fend for themselves” are perfect examples of demagoguery. To demagogue is to take something you don’t like and exaggerate its negatives to the point where no one likes it.
To understand the Ryan plan we must first review the present system. Currently the two main parts of Medicare are Part A to pay hospital bills and Part B to pay doctors bill. There is no premium for Part A and Part B cost $1,157 per year. If your income is higher than $80,000 you pay more for Part B and at $214,000 you pay over $4,000 per year.
This is how the Ryan plan will work, by charging a higher premium for those who make more. The exact numbers are not yet out but you can imagine a progressive payment plan. For example if your income is over $50,000 you will pay more, say an extra $1,000 per year for every $10,000 you make over $50,000. Continue this up to say $200,000 at which you would pay an additional $15,000 per year.
The Ryan plan will continue the practice of the current plan of limiting treatments but will not deny the process. Medicare maintains that they do not limit treatments but that is not the case. You might question why the oldest person to receive a heart transplant was 79. We know that late life counseling is used to limit treatment but that too is denied.