Don’t Take the Medicare Bait
By Armstrong Williams For NewsUSA The folks over at National Journal run a Congressional Insiders and Political Insiders poll every week. The informal survey of Members of Congress, Senators and political flaks is a great snapshot inside the minds of some of the key decision-makers in Washington. Last week, the editors ask how wise it is for Republicans to take on cuts in Medicare funding , particularly in the form of vouchers for Medicare. The idea behind such instruments, of course, is to affix a price point to Medicare usage for seniors and begin to get a handle on the uncontrollable spending in the program, particularly in 2011 – the first year the Boomers begin turning 65. A lot has been said and written surrounding the integrity of such a voucher plan. So I won’t debate the merits here. The question put to Insiders was, “Is it smart for Republicans to offer vouchers now?” Since I wasn’t asked, I’ll give my answer here – No, it’s not. ...