You really haven't been following politics lately have you? Many Republicans have moved past this Tax pledge and have come out to say they are willing to talk about added revenues. Of course that doesn't fit your agenda.

Oh and btw, if you think that medicare payments have only been a problem since 2010, then you REALLY do live in your own little world. Medicare payments to doctors, and the issues that have arisen from it, have been around for a very long time. I've known about them for a good 14-15 years and I'm sure they go back even further than that. Doctors haven't been paid a fare rate by medicare for a very long time (if ever). This isn't something new that popped up in the last few years.

Getting people back to work would be one way to apply some alleviation. How come nobody responded to my idea of having Medicare affecting the prices of pharmaceuticals instead of physician visits? We are hitting the middle man and not the supplier, it doesn't make sense. Well the middle man doesn't have as big of lobbies, so it kinda does make sense.

What "preventable causes" are you referring to?

And who's responsible?

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That's weak sauce!

I can only speak from which I know, but don't most people have to pay a secondary plan for their prescription coverage? I know those who I know with medicare have extra policies with regular insurance companies to help cover the costs of prescription coverage. With this factor, it wouldn't really help that much. Realistically, the only way to pay doctors more for their services would be to raise premiums for medicare patients OR to have fewer people on medicare. Personally, I believe that mandating medicare for people who have carried health insurance their whole lives is ridiculous and just adds an unnecessary burden to the system. If insurance companies weren't allowed to cut peopel off at the medicare eligibility age, and allowed people to carry on paying their premiums and keeping their insurance their whole life, there would be a much smaller burden on the Medicare system and would then allow the system to pay a better rate for medical care.

Well, the Republicans held the House from 1994-2006, then again since 2010. During the Dem control, literally hundreds of bills were passed, only to die in the Senate, mostly because of Republican obstructionism and the new meme that requires a 67% majority to get anything done.

The Repubs have had plenty of time-in the 14-15 years you talked about-to help fix Medicare. Instead they passed a law that automatically reduces payments to Medicare doctors periodically unless Congress acts to counter it. It also accelerates, so even if they stop the payment cuts one session, it increases for the next one. I believe that last year, it was up to 40% or something.

You can whine all you like about false equivalencies, but the reason nothing is getting done in Congress has huge R's all over it.

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Talent can get you to the playoffs.
It takes character to win when you get there.

You and your partisan beliefts are just as big a problem. You blame the Republicans because it makes you feel better about the party you support, yet your party has had control of both houses, and done nothing on this issue except take medicare funding to help push through a bill to help their buddies in the insurance industry. There is plenty of blame to pass around to both sides. The only problem is some people can (choose to) only see one side as the problem, instead of the system and both sides

The democratic party hasn't done a god damn thing worthwhile in a long time. The republican party constantly tries to radicalize itself. Both parties are awful, republicans [the party] are worse.

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RIP ROAD WOES 12/2/2012

I agree with Sonic, except that I hate democrats just SLIGHTLY more than republicans.