The Ryan AARP Boo Fest!!!

Sure Paul Ryan was booed by the AARP crowd. Those in attendance knew better. But if you were to try and find out just how Ryan lied, good luck. From my research, the press almost never mentioned how the Affordable Care Act lengthened Medicare's solvency by 12 years, which would have countered Ryan's claim it did not.

Here's the video, put together from multiple sources (Rachel Maddow, CBS, ABC, Ed Schultz), followed by information I was able to dig up. Oddly, even MSNBC cut off the all too important crowd boos:

Is Medicare going broke, and did “Obamacare” shorten Medicare’s solvency, as Paul Ryan claimed in his speech to AARP? The Fact Checkers and the Washington Post proved Ryan’s claims to be a lie:

WaPo: We are not talking about all of Medicare, just the part that covers hospital visits, hospice care, nursing facilities and the like. Part B, which involves seeing a doctor, is paid out of general funds and premiums. Moreover, though the fund would be “depleted,” it would NOT be “penniless” or “broke.” That is because the government could still cover 87 percent of estimated expenses in 2024 — and 67 percent in 2050 … but it doesn’t mean that the fund is bankrupt.

Already, in the Obama health care law, a surtax was added that would hit wealthy Americans, which extended the “insolvency” date by 12 years. Congress has also moved some functions from Part A to Part B to extend the life of the fund. It’s also important to remember that the Part A fund has from its inception been on the brink of going “broke.” Page 4 of a useful report by the Congressional Research Service , titled “Medicare: History of Insolvency Projections,” shows that in 1970 it was due to go “broke” in 1972.

The AARP crowd knew much this already, and told Ryan so:

WaPo: “Lie!” one woman in the crowd yelled as others booed. “Liar!” yelled another.
The crowd was silent for most of Ryan’s speech and applauded him as he took the stage and left it. But some attendees responded with loud disapproval of Ryan’s attack on Obama and when Ryan described his own Medicare plan. At one point, when Ryan told the crowd that “all that we need now is leaders who have the political will to save and strengthen Social Security,” one man quipped: “Got one!”

At other points in the speech, scattered attendees yelled out, “No vouchers!” and “Tax the 1 percent!”

Here’s a short transcript of Ryan’s ridiculous pronouncements:

RYAN: "Today, our nation faces a political turning point. Government mismanagement and political cowardice are threatening both sides of LBJ's pledge. Seniors are threatened by Obamacare, a law that would force steep cuts to real benefits in real time for real people." [Shouts, boos.]

"Meanwhile — [boos] — meanwhile, younger Americans are burdened by an ever-growing national debt and a diminished future. Here's the good news. By embracing common-sense reforms now, we can get ahead of the problem and keep promises people have organized their lives around. You see, if we reform Medicare for my generation, we can protect it for those in or near retirement today." [Applause.]

"The first step to a stronger Medicare is to repeal Obamacare, because it represents the worst of both worlds. [Boos.] "I had a feeling there would be mixed reactions, so let me get into it. [Boos.] It weakens Medicare for today's seniors and puts it at risk for the next generation. [Boos.] First, it funnels $716 billion out of Medicare to pay for a new entitlement we didn't even ask for. [Boos.] Second, it puts 15 unelected bureaucrats in charge of Medicare's future."

And private business has become more dependent on taxpayer dollars, which means, “behave or else.”

NY Times: Enrollment is up and premiums are down in Medicare Advantage. John K. Gorman, a former Medicare official who is now a consultant with clients in the insurance industry, said: “Today’s announcement shows that there is a new sheriff in town. Medicare officials were very specific and very forceful. Insurers succumbed to the government’s demands and stayed in the Medicare market because they have become much more dependent on Medicare business.”