Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security Issues—

Murphy Town Hall Meeting On Entitlements

By John Voket

Congressman Chris Murphy was blunt but conciliatory as he engaged attendees at a public town hall-style meeting April 10 about several key concerns facing seniors, including Medicare and Social Security. The meeting, hosted by Maplewood at Newtown, provided an opportunity for about 40 guests to hear about the latest development regarding these federal programs, as well as a forum to ask questions and voice opinions on those and other issues.

Opening with his take on the current federal budget proposal — or what he called the “Ryan Budget,” referencing House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) who led an effort that passed the proposal last month — the Connecticut Democrat said he believes “it’s the wrong plan on the table.”

Mr Murphy, who is running for Senate this fall, said while the current budget elements tied to Medicaid and Medicare do not affect current beneficiaries, he is gravely concerned the current spending plan will have the greatest negative impact on baby boomers who are on the cusp of retirement today.

“There just aren’t as many kids paying into the system,” Mr Murphy said. “So Medicare won’t be around for me, or for your kids and grandkids unless we make some changes today.”

The congressman said the Ryan plan would “privatize the entirety of Medicare” by creating a system where eligible citizens “take a coupon and buy private health care.”

But the catch, Mr Murphy said, is that by giving up control of the program, the government will have little or no control on costs. He predicted a system that would quickly begin escalating participant’s rates, outpacing inflation to the point where the proposed program costs could “double in ten years and possibly triple in 20.”

Acknowledging that the Medicare system is still plagued by billions of dollars in fraud, the congressman also believes there are also billions of dollars being wasted in the program. He also illustrated how Medicare reimbursements to hospitals are based on “how much care you receive, not how good.”

“Hospitals are actually punished for providing better care,” Mr Murphy said. “They get less money if you’re staying in the hospital longer. So people are sent home early, and they get readmitted and they get a second fee. Then the pattern repeats.”

While Mr Murphy knows some hospitals are “gaming the system,” he wants to see Medicare reforms put in place that will eliminate waste by eliminating this type of costly practice.

More Medicaid Options

Congressman Murphy told the audience that the Ryan plan seeks to eliminate the guaranteed benefit, versus providing a chunk of money for every state, which in turn provides the states with “greater prerogative for control.”

He said under the Ryan budget proposal, Connecticut stands to get 25 percent less Medicaid funding in the next ten years, which the congressman said would create a crisis of care in state nursing homes. Mr Murphy said he favors a “money follows the person” plan that would permit Medicaid recipients to choose between skilled care if needed, or a more independent living situation, or even a home care reimbursement.

Pointing out that nursing home care is proven to be the most expensive among those three options, Mr Murphy said a money follows the person program could conversely save Connecticut and its taxpayers millions while providing the flexibility for each individual under the plan to receive the best care for them.

Moving on to Social Security, Mr Murphy illustrated how an adjustment in the taxable cap could infuse the program with the added funds required to make the system sustainable for future generations.

“Today, some people are making millions that are not taxable for social security purposes,” he said. “It used to be that 90 percent of that income was taxed, but today it’s 83 percent.”

The congressman said that it may not seem like much, but by resetting the cap back to 90 percent, “most of the problems associated with the Social Security Fund would be cured.”

Problem Solving

Together

Mr Murphy then refocused on trying to craft an acceptable compromise.

“The federal government has turned into one big insurance company. It’s not a Democratic or Republican problem,” he said. “We have to find a way to come together and work together on these issues.”

Mr Murphy mentioned how challenging it was to get colleagues involved with his “Center Aisle Caucus,” which is bringing Democrats and Republicans together to talk about civility between the parties, versus hammering away at philosophical differences on many issues facing the nation today.

“The only rule is, if you’re a Democrat who wants to join, you have to bring a Republican, and if you’re a Republican, you have to bring a Democrat,” Mr Murphy explained. “We don’t have many members…”

In closing, Mr Murphy said he believes all the elected officials in Washington want to fix Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, “but it’s so much easier to go after the other party.”

Calling for “healing the social divide,” Mr Murphy reverted back to his opening statements saying that he believes parts of the Ryan budget are wrong for his constituents, but there was also “a lot of room for compromise.”