The Further Adventures Of The Crown Prince

by digby

Can someone translate this for me?

Shuster: it’s so striking that this thing that progressives are pushing for is that Medicare which is a government program that gets expanded so that it includes people as young as 55 years old. I know it’s early, but is there any indication that the Democrats — that the Progressives — are getting a pushback on that particular piece of it from the centrists?

Lil’ Luke Russert: Well you have to remember David, that one of the main issues that the centrists have up here, both in the Senate and in the House is, “do we have the infrastructure available here in the Unites States to take on more types of folks on Medicaid and Medicare”. A lot of folks in the House, the Blue Dogs in rural areas said we do not have the infrastructure being able to take in all these people.

That is what the progressives right now are using as their bargaining chip. Will we go back on the public option, perhaps allow you get Medicare recipients down at 55, but my guess is they’re going to have to have a serious look at the CBO as to how much that would cost and how that would affect the deficit. It’s not cheap to put 55 year olds on Medicare by any means, David.

Anybody speak this village patois?

FYI: I’m pretty sure nobody’s talking about just “putting 55 year olds on medicare.” They are going to have to pay premiums to get into it, just like any other insurance plan, and will only be allowed to stop paying when they hit 65. (This will be on top of paying into medicare for their retirement…) But what do I know? Lil’ Luke is the professional NBC News journalist and he seems to think we’ll all get “put on” Medicare at 55. Yea!

Meanwhile, this whole “bargaining chip” with the rural area Blue Dogs stuff is way beyond my meager understanding. I guess that’s he makes the big bucks.

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