Other Voices

“If there’s anything in the medical system that’s ripe for cutbacks, it’s the wasteful subsidies in Medicare Advantage, which is projected to spend some $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years. … Seniors deserve to have options, but with Medicare going broke, those who want extras should bear the cost themselves. Cutting wasteful subsidies is exactly the right way to help pay for overhauling the healthcare system. If private companies can out-compete government-run healthcare, let them do it—without taxpayer handouts.”

—USA Today

“Last time we checked, this was still the United States of America and the First Amendment was still in force. That means individuals ... have a right to information. The prevailing plan in the Senate would cut benefits to people who have Medicare Advantage plans by $123 billion over 10 years. … The Senate’s top Republicans have (fired) off a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, saying they will refuse to confirm any HHS nominees until she lifts a ‘gag order’ that bars private companies that contract with Medicare from communicating with their elderly customers about the potential effects of healthcare overhaul.”

—Albuquerque (N.M.) Journal