The Inadequacy of 30-Second Sound Bites
February 01, 201212:55 pm
In its annual budget and economic outlook, the Congressional Budget Office has clearly outlined one of the most serious fiscal challenges the country is facing. As the U.S. population ages, healthcare spending is expected to rise by eight percent annually between 2012 and 2022. This means that government spending for Medicare, Medicaid and other healthcare programs will more than double to $1.8 trillion over the next decade.
The significance of this CBO report cannot be overstated. Medicare’s financial challenges aren’t in some distant, far-off future. They’re happening right now. Ignoring these problems today brings us closer to a tomorrow in which Congress will have to either significantly raise taxes or enact harmful cuts to Medicare services in order to keep the program solvent and prevent this spending escalation from becoming a drag on the economy.
This warrants serious discussion by our elected officials. To their credit, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) have advanced this dialogue through their bipartisan efforts on Medicare reform. Whether their colleagues in Congress will follow suit is an open question.
Last week, the New York Times’ Robert Pear authored an article, “Medicare Seen as Battleground Issue in Congressional Races.” In this story, it’s pointed out that congressional candidates are being urged by Washington, DC advisors to make Medicare a focal point of their campaigns, but not in any meaningful way that lead toward solution-focused discussions. Rather, the issue is being raised in 30-second radio advertisements and ‘robocalls’ to voters claiming that lawmakers who supported the initial Ryan reform proposal “favor millionaires over Medicare.”
I’m not naïve and I don’t wear rose-colored glasses where partisan politics are concerned. I know that candidates have to take actions that move polling numbers. But elections have consequences, and needed Medicare reform has already been set back years by scalding campaign attacks against those who have advocated change. The success of those attacks has reduced the number of lawmakers willing to take on this critical, yet politically dangerous, issue.
The juxtaposition of the CBO report – and director Doug Elmendorf’s testimony before the House Budget Committee this morning – and the Pear story is a matter of concern. CBO has laid down the challenge. We can hope that Congress responds with more than attack ads and glib sound bites.
CATEGORIES: 
80 Responses to “The Inadequacy of 30-Second Sound Bites”
January 28th, 2024 at 9:09 pm
albuterol 2mg ca buy albuterol generic buy albuterol pills
February 1st, 2024 at 5:37 pm
oral prednisone 40mg buy deltasone 10mg without prescription deltasone 40mg us
February 3rd, 2024 at 7:26 am
isotretinoin 40mg for sale buy isotretinoin without prescription isotretinoin 20mg uk
February 4th, 2024 at 4:31 am
albuterol 2mg us buy albuterol 4mg sale oral albuterol
February 5th, 2024 at 1:01 am
buy amoxicillin 250mg for sale cost amoxil 250mg order amoxicillin 250mg pills
February 5th, 2024 at 9:11 pm
amoxiclav ca clavulanate over the counter cheap amoxiclav
February 6th, 2024 at 4:36 pm
buy azithromycin 250mg without prescription buy azithromycin 500mg sale buy azithromycin 500mg for sale
February 7th, 2024 at 1:22 pm
purchase levothyroxine for sale synthroid online buy levothroid over the counter
February 8th, 2024 at 8:43 am
prednisolone price generic prednisolone 20mg order omnacortil 40mg
February 9th, 2024 at 5:46 am
clomid 50mg pill order clomid 100mg without prescription order clomid 100mg pill
February 9th, 2024 at 11:24 pm
gabapentin where to buy brand neurontin 100mg buy neurontin 800mg
February 11th, 2024 at 12:18 pm
sildenafil 100mg cost sildenafil 50mg ca sildenafil for sale
February 11th, 2024 at 2:11 pm
where can i buy lasix buy furosemide pills for sale cost furosemide 40mg
February 13th, 2024 at 1:15 am
buy rybelsus medication order semaglutide buy semaglutide generic
February 13th, 2024 at 3:20 am
purchase acticlate online doxycycline 200mg for sale monodox tablet
February 15th, 2024 at 4:42 pm
pregabalin 75mg pill lyrica tablet lyrica 75mg for sale
February 15th, 2024 at 9:45 pm
buy plaquenil generic order hydroxychloroquine 200mg for sale buy plaquenil 400mg pill
February 16th, 2024 at 11:05 pm
order triamcinolone online order triamcinolone without prescription aristocort canada
February 17th, 2024 at 6:33 am
rx pharmacy online cialis cialis 20mg oral tadalafil 5mg us
February 18th, 2024 at 5:14 am
buy generic clarinex how to get clarinex without a prescription purchase clarinex pills
February 18th, 2024 at 1:45 pm
buy cenforce generic cenforce 50mg sale buy cenforce 50mg for sale
February 19th, 2024 at 7:54 pm
purchase loratadine without prescription buy claritin paypal claritin oral
February 19th, 2024 at 11:29 pm
aralen 250mg for sale purchase chloroquine pill order aralen 250mg generic
February 21st, 2024 at 1:37 am
order dapoxetine 30mg online cheap misoprostol 200mcg tablet buy cytotec without prescription
February 21st, 2024 at 3:26 pm
buy glucophage online glucophage 500mg tablet order metformin 500mg without prescription
February 22nd, 2024 at 10:15 am
orlistat 120mg pill xenical cheap order diltiazem pill
February 23rd, 2024 at 10:19 pm
amlodipine 5mg drug buy norvasc pill buy generic norvasc 5mg
February 24th, 2024 at 9:51 am
where to buy acyclovir without a prescription allopurinol 100mg pills zyloprim 300mg without prescription
February 25th, 2024 at 7:10 am
zestril 10mg oral lisinopril 5mg usa where to buy lisinopril without a prescription
February 25th, 2024 at 5:09 pm
cost crestor 20mg rosuvastatin us buy ezetimibe 10mg without prescription
February 26th, 2024 at 1:54 pm
order omeprazole 10mg generic purchase omeprazole generic buy prilosec 20mg without prescription
February 26th, 2024 at 10:49 pm
domperidone order online tetracycline 500mg for sale order sumycin 500mg online cheap
February 28th, 2024 at 12:58 am
purchase metoprolol pills medication to stop heart attack cheap metoprolol 100mg
February 28th, 2024 at 9:13 am
order cyclobenzaprine pill baclofen 10mg cheap baclofen us
February 29th, 2024 at 10:31 am
atenolol 50mg brand atenolol 100mg ca atenolol 100mg sale
March 1st, 2024 at 6:03 pm
purchase toradol generic colchicine 0.5mg oral buy cheap gloperba
March 1st, 2024 at 7:07 pm
methylprednisolone 4 mg without a doctor prescription buy depo-medrol paypal methylprednisolone usa
March 3rd, 2024 at 1:38 am
assignment sites paper writing online do my term paper
March 3rd, 2024 at 5:53 am
brand propranolol inderal 10mg cost clopidogrel drug
March 4th, 2024 at 9:20 am
methotrexate over the counter buy generic warfarin online order warfarin 2mg online cheap
March 4th, 2024 at 11:49 pm
mobic without prescription buy meloxicam for sale oral celecoxib 200mg
March 5th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
buy reglan medication buy losartan pills for sale buy cozaar generic
March 6th, 2024 at 11:06 am
flomax 0.2mg without prescription buy celecoxib 200mg sale celecoxib brand
March 8th, 2024 at 4:44 pm
order esomeprazole 40mg pills nexium 40mg oral purchase topiramate online
March 9th, 2024 at 7:22 am
ondansetron for sale purchase spironolactone generic aldactone buy online
March 9th, 2024 at 8:59 pm
imitrex us buy generic sumatriptan 25mg purchase levaquin
March 10th, 2024 at 5:19 pm
purchase zocor online order valtrex 500mg online cheap buy generic valtrex
March 11th, 2024 at 8:52 am
order avodart online cheap purchase dutasteride sale buy zantac generic
March 11th, 2024 at 2:48 pm
how to buy finasteride buy proscar pill fluconazole canada
March 12th, 2024 at 9:54 pm
acillin generic order generic penicillin buy generic amoxil over the counter
March 14th, 2024 at 1:27 am
cipro 1000mg without prescription – buy sulfamethoxazole generic buy clavulanate online cheap
March 14th, 2024 at 5:01 am
ciprofloxacin 500mg cost – cheap keflex 500mg cost augmentin 1000mg
March 16th, 2024 at 8:57 pm
metronidazole sale – brand flagyl 400mg buy azithromycin 250mg online
March 17th, 2024 at 9:43 am
ciplox 500mg price – cheap tindamax order erythromycin pill
March 19th, 2024 at 1:43 am
valtrex canada – purchase starlix sale brand acyclovir 800mg
March 19th, 2024 at 1:34 pm
ivermectin 6mg without a doctor prescription – buy generic cefuroxime 250mg brand tetracycline 500mg
March 21st, 2024 at 6:54 am
flagyl 400mg drug – order cleocin 150mg online cheap order azithromycin sale
March 21st, 2024 at 1:22 pm
buy cheap ampicillin buy cheap generic ampicillin where can i buy amoxil
March 22nd, 2024 at 7:08 pm
lasix 100mg oral – candesartan us buy captopril generic
March 25th, 2024 at 9:53 am
buy metformin 1000mg online cheap – duricef 250mg price buy lincomycin generic
March 26th, 2024 at 12:53 am
buy zidovudine 300 mg without prescription – epivir 100 mg brand buy generic zyloprim for sale
March 27th, 2024 at 7:12 pm
buy clozapine 50mg for sale – frumil 5 mg sale order generic pepcid 40mg
March 29th, 2024 at 12:06 am
order seroquel 50mg for sale – eskalith cheap cheap eskalith without prescription
March 30th, 2024 at 11:32 am
purchase clomipramine without prescription – buy generic citalopram 40mg doxepin over the counter
March 31st, 2024 at 12:51 am
buy hydroxyzine 25mg online – amitriptyline 25mg price buy endep pills for sale
April 3rd, 2024 at 2:03 pm
augmentin ca – order ciprofloxacin 1000mg generic cipro usa
April 3rd, 2024 at 3:39 pm
amoxil tablets – generic amoxil ciprofloxacin 1000mg oral
April 8th, 2024 at 11:40 pm
cleocin online buy – buy cleocin 300mg without prescription purchase chloromycetin pills
April 9th, 2024 at 12:31 pm
zithromax us – ciprofloxacin order online purchase ciprofloxacin
April 12th, 2024 at 5:37 am
stromectol for sale online – levofloxacin medication order cefaclor without prescription
April 12th, 2024 at 2:50 pm
ventolin inhaler – buy theo-24 Cr 400 mg online cheap theophylline online
April 14th, 2024 at 11:49 pm
clarinex drug – order beclomethasone for sale best allergy for allergic rhinitis
April 15th, 2024 at 5:40 am
buy methylprednisolone medication – depo-medrol tablet azelastine 10 ml cheap
April 17th, 2024 at 12:46 am
micronase 2.5mg sale – buy glucotrol 5mg generic dapagliflozin 10 mg pill
April 19th, 2024 at 12:47 am
repaglinide 1mg brand – repaglinide 1mg for sale empagliflozin 10mg tablet
April 21st, 2024 at 6:07 pm
lamisil usa – buy fluconazole medication how to get grifulvin v without a prescription
April 22nd, 2024 at 8:54 am
brand semaglutide – where to buy desmopressin without a prescription buy generic desmopressin
April 23rd, 2024 at 9:16 pm
buy generic nizoral – lotrisone uk sporanox 100mg generic
April 25th, 2024 at 10:30 am
famciclovir order online – famciclovir order online buy generic valcivir over the counter
April 25th, 2024 at 10:43 pm
order digoxin 250mg for sale – buy irbesartan buy lasix 100mg generic
Leave a Reply