Medicare

Republican Party Volunteer Tells People Obama's A Muslim

When you start losing by a landslide, lie. Even before that! A phone message left by a Clay County Florida Republican party volunteer has raised some serious hackles since it was filled with rather calculating distortions. Most notably, it invented a religion for Obama and used it like it's a bad ... More >>

Retirees Strike Back Against Romney's Remarks Over 'Dependent' Seniors

Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, has this response to Mitt Romney's views on those who look for government support: "Mitt Romney's offensive comments show his true colors, a callous indifference to millions of hard-working Americans. "No, Mitt Romney, r ... More >>

Paul Ryan Uses His Own Mama to Defuse Medicare Drama

In Rep. Paul Ryan's 'The Path to Prosperity' budget, Medicare, the health insurance program that is loved by older Americans and hated by deficit hawks, will cease to exist some time around 2022. The program - a lasting stipulation of Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society - will be transformed into a vo ... More >>

Rightbloggers Rejoice as Ryan Revives Romney, Reaganesquely

The ideologically fluid Mitt Romney surprised a lot of people this weekend by choosing as his Vice-Presidential running mate Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, a hardcore conservative best known for frightening off independent voters. Democrats portrayed the choice as a gift. So did rightbloggers, often for ... More >>

Student Loans: Will Interest Rates Double?

The Voice recently reported that the interest rates on federally backed Stafford loans will double July 1 -- from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent -- unless Congress gets its shit together. Well, it looks like some legislators in the House are trying to prevent this increase -- by cutting funding to hea ... More >>

The First Occupy Wall Street Legislation?

​In the post-occupation hangover, a (or the) big question is whether or not and to what extent Occupy Wall Street's message will have managed to translate into actual policy. OWS itself has strenuously refused to get involved in coming up with any legislation, since the movement wants to esche ... More >>

Debt Deal Passes; Mailman arrested for Diamond District Theft; Anders Behring Breivik Reportedly had Plastic Surgery in America to Look More Aryan

​Last night, President Obama announced that congressional leaders and the White House had made a deal to raise the debt ceiling. The agreement, which is expected to be voted through today, raises the debt ceiling $900 billion to get the country through the year. A special congressional committ ... More >>

Armen Kazarian, Armenian Mobster, Guilty of Bilking Medicare With Imaginary Clinics

Forget smuggling, prostitution and extortion; the real money is in Medicare fraud.​Medicare is struggling with serious problems already -- ballooning costs and an ideologically hostile Republican Party, to name just two. But at least for the moment it no longer has to tangle with the Armenian ... More >>

Paul Ryan's Medicare Plan Scaring Voters? Rightblogger Solution: Paul Ryan for President!

Last Tuesday a Democrat came from behind to win a special election in New York's overwhelmingly Republican 26th Congressional District. Kathy Hochul's surge coincided with heavy, issue-specific campaign advertising, reminding NY-26 voters that Republicans in Congress supported a plan to turn Medicar ... More >>

Kathy Hochul Wins Craigslist Congressman Chris Lee's House Seat for Democrats

Disgraced Chris Lee​The special election in upstate New York's 26th District to replace Representative Chris Lee, who resigned after Gawker posted about his shirtless exploits on Craigslist, earning him the nickname the Craigslist Congressman, went to Democrat Kathy Hochul last night. The vict ... More >>

New York Doctors Could Be Banned From Wearing Ties

​A male doctor, in our minds, always wears a white coat over a starched dress shirt and unoffensive tie. Not for long, maybe! The state legislator, led by half of Albany power couple "Klavino," Sen. Diane Savino, is plotting to ban all hospital workers from wearing neckties because they spread ... More >>

Mafia Disorganized; 17 Killed in Tornados; Radioactivity Rises Off Japan Coast

​The Mafia is out of commission. Rather, the Mafia Commission, the caucus of leaders of the five main crime families, apparently hasn't met in 25 years. Cue "disorganized crime" joke. [NYDN] A tornado warning has been issued for parts of Georgia as the death toll from recent twisters rises to 17. ... More >>

Long May You Shoot--'After the Gold Rush' at the Met

A show of contemporary photos takes on our age's 'gilded toxicity'

Let's Look at Obama's Debt-Reduction Plan!

​Hey American, did you do the assigned homework for today? You were supposed to watch Obama's big debt-reduction speech! People are going to try to talk to you about it, what are you going to say? Sure, whether you saw it or not won't affect your response to the plan or the president; our smal ... More >>

Baby Boomers Turn 65, Embrace Medicare, Self-Pity

​Happy birthday baby boomers! You are now officially grownups! 2011 marks the year that the eldest of the baby boom generation begin to turn 65, according to the U.S. Census. Within 20 years there will be nearly 80 million senior citizens in this group in the U.S., which doubles the number of ... More >>

Pedro Espada and Son Indicted on Charges of Embezzling $500K

​Pedro Espada Jr., 57, the outgoing Bronx state senator, Democrat, sushi-lover, has been indicted along with his son, Pedro Gautier Espada, on federal charges of embezzling more than $500,000 from their nonprofit, the Soundview HealthCare Network, reports the New York Times City Room blog.

Sidebar: Whose Dole Is It Anyway?

Peppy Grannies Dance to the Supremes Against Healthcare Cuts -- Best Protest Ever (Video)

​"Stop! In the name of health, Don't cut my Medicare, Think it o-o-ver." Bryant Park's lunch crowd got quite a show today as a troupe of grannies and their supporters adapted The Supremes to draw attention (and a crowd of about 100) to stopping government cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Sec ... More >>

Study: Hands-Down, New Yorkers Have the Best Knees

​Congrats, New Yorkers! Along with being the coolest, the smartest, and perhaps the most cynical and jaded interestingly beautiful folks around (that's a compliment), we also have the best knees, Crain's reports. Uh huh, that's right. (Hey, take a picture -- it'll last longer.)

Morning Links

​Herewith, your talking points for this Friday... • If you're trying to fly out of Europe, think again: "60 percent of European flights were not operating and delays will continue into Saturday," according to European traffic control agency Eurocontrol, which sounds like an early '90s elect ... More >>

Senate extends COBRA subsidy and federal unemployment filing deadlines

​The Senate voted Saturday to extend the filing deadline for both federally-funded extended unemployment benefits and an additional six months of a 65% COBRA subsidy until the end of February. The current filing deadline is December 31 for both programs. One million of the nine million jobless ... More >>

Staten Island Town Brawl Goes Pretty Much As You Would Expect

Local tea party people warned in advance that Monday's Staten Island health care town brawl with Congressman Michael McMahon would be lively. And voila -- "Health care reform foes dominate meeting with Staten Island congressman," writes the Staten Island Advance. The peeps seem to have gone for the ... More >>

Liveblogging the Obama Health Care Speech

​ 8:05. The look of surprise Hillary Clinton uses when she greets people in crowds makes her look like she's trying to wake herself up. We wonder if she has a callous on her cheek from getting kissed. Whoops, Brian Williams said "death panels" was bogus! Liberalmediabias! Do a shot! 8:11. ... More >>

Death, Taxes, and Mexicans

Legal or illegal: Either way the IRS wins

Morning Report 12/12/05
Old News

Morning Report 11/16/05
Bush Speaks the Truth!

Morning Report 11/13/05
The Vise President

Morning Report 10/17/05
GOP Gets Bolder. Prepare to Be Crushed

A Storm of GOP Proposals

Rita in Washington? Pass the tax cuts, please

Crude Manipulation

In Katrina's wake, the supposed oil shortage and suspicious gas price hikes

Unfucking the Donkey

Advice for weary, wandering Democrats

Morning Report 3/29/05: Antisocial Security

Bush Digs Dry Well in Alaska

Glut of right wingers, dearth of oil

Untying the Knot

Giving marriage a queer-eye makeover just might loosen up mom and pop

GAO Decides to Investigate Medicare Ads

Warnings During Wartime

With Christ's Approval, Bush Calls for Abstinence, Defends the Empire, and Rallies the Rich

The Dems Helped Arnold

But Will the Terminator Put Bush in a Bind?

Congress's Dubious Medicare Reform

How a New Prescription-Drug Plan Could Drive Up Prices for the Elderly

To Your (Corporate) Health

But Nagging Gas Pains in Iraq Continue

Nation

Bush Sucks Support From Southern Democrats

Right-Wing Congress Cuts Taxes, Cans Rules Protecting Workers

A Guide to Key Congressional Races

The Rich, the Mighty, and the Hopeful

Nation

Platform to Nowhere

Democrats Offer Few Specifics on Major Issues

Presidential Prescriptions

Gore and Bradley on Health Care: The Differences Are in the Details

Read My Rips

Clinton Confronts Governors

The Body Impolitic

Jesse goes To The Mat

Nation

Raising Canes

Medicare's elderly defenders take to the streets