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Saving Medicare, Visualized

By: Ben Domenech (Diary)  |  May 25th, 2011 at 08:39 AM  | 

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Paul Ryan‘s latest infographic video walks interested citizens through the truth about Medicare’s unsustainable path. Watch it here: “Saving Medicare, Visualized”

Ryan makes the case for empowering consumers and Medicare patients versus Obama’s bureaucracy and rationing based solution. It’s one we’ve heard before, but we’ve never seen it encapsulated in such an easily shareable form.

Side note: For more than three years, I’ve been arguing that conservative groups needed to take this video approach in creating graphically appealing walkthroughs which explain complex problems in straightforward ways. Groups haven’t responded to the need to do this, for the most part. It’s great to see Ryan pushing forward along these lines.

Read more about the facts on Medicare at the House Budget website: “The Facts on Medicare and How to Save It”.

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COMMENTS

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  • pdawk

    Karl Rove, Heritage Foundation, RNC, etc., should seriously consider putting up some real funds to run an infomerical with Paul Ryan laying out the issues on this case. He is really articulate and can make complex matters very simple to the general public. Only way we don’t get crushed on the Medicare issue in the 2012 election is to educate the masses about the realities of our current situation.

    • paramedichess

      This is a great video, but as it stands now, it will only be seen by people who already agree with Ryan. Bigger than the video is the fact that we need elected officials who can clearly explain the issues, and sadly, most of our republican officials cannot.

  • http://AnnArborRealEstateTalk.com missyc

    Does anyone know why this is an unlisted video on YouTube? Seems like it should be able to go viral.
    Easy to understand explanation…visual.

  • Kyle-MI

    The GOP needs to bring all of its Representatives and Senators together at a retreat and go through session after session on defending the Ryan plan for Medicare reform. It is clear that this will be the issue on which the Dems will try to defeat us next year. There is no way any GOP pol will be able to weasel away from this attack. They will either hang together or (politically) hang separately. Every candidate needs to have the defense down pat as well as Ryan in this video.

  • dajeeps

    Democrats like to talk about Republicans robbing seniors, but they conviently forget what their alternative plan, Obama Care, does to them with the aid of nature. I would rather take a state-based program with a block grant than be rationed out of existance.

    It would be nice if they had to explain how and why LBJ patched together the Bretton-Woods Accord, why Nixon had to close the gold window and we ended up with the great inflation of the 70s and 80s. These are indeed linked, and there are no more accounting tricks to play, or gold windows to close. And mountains of greenbacks later they would rather let nature take its course on those individuals instead of tell the truth – that they are guilty of everything they accused society of being in their proaganda when all of these programs were passed,

  • Praying

    I’ve been saying for some time it’s all about the message. The left has their “talking points” – the right has a bunch of mumble-jumble. This video is clear, concise, with easy to understand graphics. I like the idea (above) of a “bootcamp” to get the GOP on message with this topic. I’m 53 – just under the age for which Ryan proposes no reforms – I’m 100% behind this plan. A) the current system is unsustainable and more importantly, B) I want to be in charge of my health care decisions, not some unelected group of bureaucrats. Strangely, the only group NOT enthusiastic about Ryan’s plan is the 20 – 29 year olds. The entitled class, I guess.

  • jaydickb

    talking point, or something like it.

    Democrats want to cut Medicare benefits for everyone, including existing participants as well as future ones; they really do want to cut Granny’s Medicare. Republicans want to leave Granny’s Medicare as it is and change Medicare only for those entering the program 10 years from now. The proposed changes will make Medicare similar to the Federal Employees’ Health Benefits Plan, acclaimed as one of the best in the country.

    The basis for saying Democrats want to cut benefits for everyone is that they want to cut payments to medical care providers to reduce costs. This will cause more providers to leave the program or not accept new Medicare patients. Medicare participants will find it increasingly difficult to obtain needed medical services and waiting times for appointments will grow very long for the few providers still accepting Medicare. As in Canada, people will get sicker and die waiting for an appointment.

  • sundaycombo

    It’s a great idea that every voter is completely informed on the issues of the day. But that is not a reality.

    Jack Davis got 8% of the vote in NY 26 last night as a fake Tea Party candidate. And EVERYONE knew (or should have known) what he was. It was well reported and the NRCC even ran commercials to expose him.

    The point is that the electorate that can’t distinguish a candidate’s real party is an electorate that has a limited ability and/or interest in getting too deep into the policy weeds.

    More and more this Medicare reform plan looks (politically) like Bush’s Social Security reform plan in 2005. That is to say a good idea that is unfortunately electoral kryptonite for those that embrace it.

  • unclefred

    Consider that a growing number of doctors are already refusing to accept new medicare patients or dropping existing medicare patients all together.
    Consider that medicare is refusing to cover more procedures and drugs which places a doctor in the position of having to choose between the most appropriate treatment for a patient and what medicare will allow.

    The difficulty is that the only way to understand the cost of coverage for a 65+ year old with a history heart disease, diabetes, etc is to actually create the system and find out.

    If it were possible to compare the cost to seniors of the new plan with current medicare coverage, it might be possible to defuse the entire issue. But I see no way to accurately do this. We can’t even accurately project patient costs for medicare as it is today.

  • gmscan

    It is an excellent explanation except for one thing. He blames the mess on fee for service (FFS) payments. It is not FFS that is the problem but Third Party Payment (TPP.) As long as someone else (private or government) is paying the bills we will spend too much. We need HSAs in Medicare regardless of whether it is privatized or government run.

    Greg Scandlen

  • jaykali

    Ryan is our only hope here in the near future. He is a trust worth, well-spoken guy with a very persuasive defense of his plan. If he can’t sell this we are all completely screwed. There isn’t going to be anyone else who can sell it as well as he can.

    And I am a little bit pissed off that a bunch of 65 year old-types that aren’t even effected by this plan are going to turn out to vote against it and screw the younger generations over. I am 30 years old, and if my options are a) wait until the problem is boiling over leaving us with big taxes and rationing or b) a market-driven plan I think I will take b). If you’re over 55 enjoy the free ride that you got by passing the bill to the rest of us. Now we have to reform it so that it doesn’t engulf us.

  • tjpeco

    Make my head explode in disbelief.

    I’m going to start calling these people “Reality Deniers”

  • earlgrey

    nt.

  • rightwingmom52

    “The same kind of system members of Congress enjoy today.”

    Hammer that over and over and over.

    • gpclaw

      Why weren’t the bureaucratic, central planners wearing top hats and monocles?

  • JSobieski

    Once can’t win a budget debate without visuals. If it comes down to two opponents using the spoken word, the guy promising a free lunch without consequence will win every time. Perot made effective use of charts in 1992. I have been wondering when our guys would start doing the same.

    We need to win the medicare reform debate. Precious few on our side do a good job of explaining this issue. Nobody else on our side is using visuals. Ryan is a striking exception to the lack of a conservative “answer” in the media war, and he keeps a pleasant demeaner while doing so.

    I am not a big fan of presidential candidates without executive experience. However, it does appear that the only way for Paul Ryan to get enough air time in the MSM is for him to run for President.

    If someone like Pawlenty doesn’t make start making similar videos, I think the draft Paul Ryan movement will take off. I hope our candidates put together videos like this one. This is what I was hoping Fred Thompson was going to do in 2008.

    Paul Ryan doesn’t want to run for President because the campaign work will take away from his time explaining this issue. However, without being presidential candidate, he won’t got the exposure that we need.

    The MSM can’t ignore Paul Ryan as a presidential candidate. All he needs to do is put out videos like this and ignore the other candidates in the Republican field.

    We should all demand that Republican presidential candidates make videos like this one. Heck, they can just go to CATO and retain their media people.

    If we don’t have a presidential candidate in videos like this, we will lose in 2012—and by we and lose I don’t just mean the presidential election.

    • littlehouse18

      He also doesn’t want to run because of his young family. But running for Prez does seem to be the only way to get his message out. Notice how the MSM is really going after him, perhaps they are scared of him. He would mop the floor with Obama.

      While I hate to place too much trust in any politician, so far with Ryan I see a real honesty, sincerity, and intelligence that is extremely rare. Combine this with his easy-going personality and way of connecting with people and I think he would be unbeatable.

      Watching the clip with Bill Clinton, it struck me that Clinton has a lot of respect for Ryan. Could he see the kind of character that he was unable to build in himself? I wonder why he wants Ryan to give him a call? (Note to Ryan – careful dealing with snakes!)

      • JSobieski

        and once we have a nominee, he will get less.

        I understand the young kids thing, but nobody is going to do a better job defending Medicare reform than Ryan. Since the D’s have made it clear that Medicare is the issue they are willing to go all in on, I suggest we double down.

        I say all of this despite his lack of executive experience, which does trouble me.

  • cja99

    get beyond the Obama/Soros Propaganda Machine.