Medicare/Medicaid

Debt Deal Could Spare Middle and Upper Class Seniors, But Slam The Poor

Benjy Sarlin | June 20, 2011, 5:45AM

Medicaid recipients receive treatment

Democrats' rallying cry on deficit talks couldn't be clearer: It's the elderly, stupid.

That means Medicare benefits are off-limits, a message that Democrats plan to reinforce at every opportunity through November 2012. With Republicans demanding trillions in cuts to raise the debt limit, however, savings are going to have to come from somewhere. The most logical option left is Medicaid, a favorite conservative target whose low-income recipients carry little clout in Washington compared to Medicare's elderly and middle-class base.

But there is one politically tricky obstacle to cutting Medicaid: Millions of seniors -- including those who consider themselves middle class -- rely on Medicaid cover their nursing home care, meaning any raid on its funding could complicate Democrats' image a the tireless champion of retirees across the land.

Mindful of the problem, aides and lawmakers are floating a way forward: shielding the elderly from Medicaid cuts while slashing aid to poor and uninsured Americans.

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Bush Tax Cuts

House Dems Prepare To Fold On Obama Tax Cut Deal

Brian Beutler | December 14, 2010, 10:02PM

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer with other House Democrats

House Democrats are coming to terms with the fact that a tax cut compromise filled with provisions they despise will pass and be signed into law. On Tuesday night they vented their frustrations to their harried leadership in a private caucus meeting, but emerged acknowledging that they've been boxed effectively in by the White House and GOP.

Tomorrow, after the Senate passes the plan President Obama negotiated with Congressional Republicans, Democratic leaders in the House will present their members with an end game. That endgame may involve passing the legislation word for word. Leaders may allow votes on amendments to the Senate-passed bill, and may even allow some minor tweaks to the package. But as far as dramatically tweaking its key provisions -- particularly the estate tax -- or otherwise endangering the deal, members predict leadership will allow those efforts to fail.

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Bush Tax Cuts

House Dems Identify Key Objection To Obama Tax Compromise

Brian Beutler | December 7, 2010, 10:45PM

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer with other House Democrats

Angry House Democrats identified their key objection to President Obama's tax cut compromise Tuesday night, after they were briefed on the deal in a private meeting by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leaders.

Several members are withholding their support for the legislation unless the details of an estate tax agreement between the White House and Senate Republicans become more progressives.

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Bush Tax Cuts

How House Dems Might Still Vote On Middle-Class Tax Cuts

Brian Beutler | September 24, 2010, 10:00AM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Senate Democrats officially scrapped any and all plans for a pre-election vote on middle-income tax cuts yesterday evening. And for the entirety of the tax cut debate, House Dems have said they will take action only after the Senate takes care of business. So that's it, right? No vote, no way.

There's still one way it could happen, and House aides stress that -- as unlikely as a vote may seem right now -- no official final decision has been made. That decision will likely come early next week.

If it does happen, it would proceed mostly as outlined here. Pelosi would put a middle-income-only tax cut bill on the floor under "suspension," which would require a two-thirds majority for passage, but would limit GOP procedural hijinx. If Republicans object, they will be forced to vote down middle-income tax cuts and face the wrath of voters.

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