Mediscare! CNN Hypes Cartoon Characters' Plight Under Romney-Ryan's Medicare, Medicaid Plans
In what seemed like a White House commercial, CNN used cartoon characters
to explain the benefits of ObamaCare back in June. Now CNN is trotting
out the same elementary and partisan stunt to hype that seniors might
lose ObamaCare benefits if the Romney-Ryan ticket wins in November.
On Tuesday, medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explained that
"Medicaid Marlene" might lose her Medicaid coverage under Mitt Romney
and Paul Ryan, and "Donut Hole Don" would have to pay more for
prescription drugs. Cohen only mentioned the benefits of ObamaCare and
the uncertainty of the Romney-Ryan plan, offering no criticisms of
ObamaCare and praise of the Republican plan.
[Video below.]
"ObamaCare, in addition to sort of re-hauling the health insurance system, it hugely expanded Medicaid. Biggest expansion ever. And it included all sorts of people like, for example, we have a woman named 'Medicaid Marlene,' reported Cohen. "Well, Ryan and Romney again want to repeal ObamaCare, so under Ryan's plan we don't know what will happen to Marlene."
For "Donut Hole Don," Cohen said "There was this gap where you had to
spend all your own money. And so President Obama closed that 'donut
hole,' and so seniors do get some assistance in that, what used to be
the 'donut hole.' What's interesting is that Ryan and Romney want to
reverse ObamaCare. They want to get rid of it and repeal it. And Ryan's
proposal doesn't have anything that addresses the donut hole."
Once again CNN is trying to tug on heartstrings to explain the gross
consequences of repealing ObamaCare. People like "Donut Hole Don" and
"Medicaid Marlene" could lose health benefits, and there is no
replacement in sight.
A transcript of the segment, which aired on August 14 on CNN Newsroom at 1:52 p.m. EDT, is as follows:
ELIZABETH COHEN: Well President Obama's plan for Medicare is basically
the plan that's been around for decades, which is it's a federal
program, you turn 65, you get your health insurance from the federal
government. And what Ryan wants to do is to keep that as an option but
that people would also have an option of getting a voucher. I hand you a
voucher, I'm the government, I hand you a voucher, and then you can use
that voucher to go buy a private policy. If you find a nice cheap one,
you'll get some money back, because the voucher will be too big. You
choose an expensive one, you'll owe more money out of your own pocket.
And all of that would start in 2023.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX: Tell us about – some of the critics point to the fact
that under Ryan's plan, they believe that it would re-open what is the
so-called "donut hole." Explain that.
COHEN: Right. First let me explain the "donut hole," because people may
have forgotten, and we haven't talked about this in a while. It used to
be that with Medicare you would spend a certain amount on prescription
drugs and Medicare would help you, but then after that amount you were
on your own. And so you would just be out there having to spend all of
your own money. And then again, once you spent a lot of money, Medicare
would help you again. There was this gap where you had to spend all your
own money. And so President Obama closed that "donut hole," and so
seniors do get some assistance in that, what used to be the "donut
hole."
What's interesting is that Ryan and Romney want to reverse ObamaCare.
They want to get rid of it and repeal it. And Ryan's proposal doesn't
have anything that addresses the "donut hole." So if he reverses it and
doesn't do anything else, that "donut hole" comes back and seniors are
left spending that money again. Now maybe he has something in his head
that he wants to do. It's not in the plan that we looked at.
MALVEAUX: Not clear yet.
COHEN: Not clear yet.
MALVEAUX: Talk about Medicaid, because obviously that's another thing
that a lot that people are talking about. It's very important, and
they're very distinct changes and differences between these two.
COHEN: ObamaCare, in addition to sort of re-hauling the health
insurance system, it hugely expanded Medicaid. Biggest expansion ever.
And it included all sorts of people like, for example, we have a woman
named "Medicaid Marlene." So we just named her that. This is a woman who
used to make too much money to be on Medicaid, but under ObamaCare she
can now get Medicaid.
Well, Ryan and Romney again want to repeal ObamaCare, so under Ryan's
plan we don't know what will happen to Marlene. Under Obama she gets
Medicaid. Under Representative Ryan's plan, we don't know because what
he wants to do is give block grants to states, just give them money, and
say do Medicaid and you figure out how to make it work and you figure
out who you want to cover. So maybe a state would cover Marlene or maybe
they might not. It would be up to the state that she lives in.
