Thomas Oliphant: Past haunts Dean on Medicare issue

This is one reason why I always say Dean isn't all that Left. -Bill

By Thomas Oliphant, 9/30/2003

HAD DICK Gephardt been more politically correct last week, he would have rebuked Howard Dean for standing with Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico on proposed Medicare cutbacks in the 1990s or with then-Representative John Kasich of Ohio. To those bosses of the newly Republican budget committee in Congress, he could have added the GOP revolutionaries running the House Ways and Means Committee -- Bill Archer of Texas and Bill Thomas of California.

Newt Gingrich, however, was a lightning rod for disbelief -- a distraction, really. Dean expressed wounded shock and horror that anyone would link him to the former speaker, who in turn tried to link slashes in eligibility and other restrictions on Medicare beneficiaries with a whopping tax cut for high-income Americans.

The truth, however, is that as a conservative Democratic governor, Dean really did do what Gephardt says he did, and his shifting attempts to wiggle off that hook have made his conduct an issue in a Democratic race that grows more serious by the week

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2003/09/30/past_haunts_dean_on_medicare_issue/

Oh please.

That doesn't mean that Dean is as left as he is portrayed though. I don't mean that in a negative way. His record actually shows someone who is relatively moderate.

Post a link to it please.

The thread is mostly a flame war .. message #3 addresses the issue, though, including this link >> http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9404&JServSessionIdr001=m5lnajzdt1.app194a&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1301

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=141365#141414

http://www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=9529&JServSessionIdr001=3mt8wsrto1.app196a&security=1&news_iv_ctrl=1301

BURLINGTON--For the third year in a row, Vermont has topped the list of Healthiest States in America by Health Care State Rankings 2003, an annual reference book of state health statistics published this month by Morgan Quitno Press of Lawrence, Kansas.

"Our award reflects which states' citizens have the best access to health care providers, affordable health care services and a generally healthy population," said Scott Morgan, president of Morgan Quitno Press. "Vermont fits this profile well. It boasts a low teen birth rate, a high childhood vaccination rate and excellent access to primary care physicians."

"I'm very proud of what we achieved in Vermont,” said former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, M.D. "American voters can rest assured that I will do for America what I did in Vermont. It is unacceptable that we are among the last industrialized nations in the world that does not guarantee its citizens health care that can never be taken away."

According to Morgan Quitno Press, "The 11th annual Healthiest State Award is based on 21 health-related factors from Health Care State Rankings 2003, an annual reference book that compares the 50 United States in more than 500 health care categories. Factors considered include infant mortality rates, the percent of population not covered by health insurance, per capita expenditures for health care, percent of population lacking access to primary medical care, childhood immunization rates, and percent of adults who smoke."

The rankings can be found on the World Wide Web at: http://www.morganquitno.com/hcrank0

http://www.deanfacts.com/plugin/template/gephardt/225/*
In 1995, Dean agreed with Republican plans to cut Medicare by $270 billion and require seniors to pay more.

On May 17, 1995, one day before the Republican Congress voted to cut Medicare, Howard Dean delivered a speech praising the cuts.

"He applauded the efforts of Senate Budget Committee chairman Pete Domenici, R-Nev., who presented his own balanced budget plan last week... Dean also said he could defend Domenici's approach to reducing Medicare costs. He said he supported more managed care for Medicare recipients and requiring some Medicare recipients to pay a greater share of the cost of their medical services...
'I fully subscribe to the notion that we should reduce the Medicare growth rate from 10 percent to 7 percent, or less if possible,' Dean said."

The cuts Dean described - reducing the rate of growth to 7 percent - was exactly what Congressional Republicans proposed: "Republicans want to save $256 billion to $282 billion by cutting the rate of growth of Medicare over seven years, from about 10% to 7%."


While Dick Gephardt fought the Medicare cuts, Dean became conservatives' "poster child" for justifying the Medicare cuts.

Washington Times conservative columnist Donald Lambro said, "...the White House and its allies in Congress think they can make some political hay if they can make taxpayers believe the GOP budget cuts will destroy needed government programs... Even Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, the Democratic chairman of the National Governors Association and one of the GOP's severest critics, said, 'I fully subscribe to the notion that we should reduce the Medicare growth rate from 10 percent to 7 percent, or less if possible.'"


Dean said the way to balance the budget was to cut Medicare.

"The Governor complains...that while federal spending restraint is clearly needed, it is unfair to place Social Security, Medicare, and defense spending off the table when it comes time for budget cuts."

"The way to balance the budget, Dean said, is for Congress to cut Social Security, move the retirement age to 70, cut defense, Medicare and veterans pensions, while the states cut almost everything else. "It would be tough but we could do it," he said."

....Dean said Medicare should be turned into a 100% managed care program.

......"He said he supported more managed care for Medicare recipients and requiring some Medicare recipients to pay a greater share of the cost of their medical services."


.......Howard Dean Today on Medicare
Even after hearing Gephardt's charge, Dean confirmed he supported trimming the rate of growth of Medicare.

"I've got to find out -- you know, I've got to find out -- but I fully subscribe to the notion which is to reduce the Medicare growth rate to ten percent or less, I'm sure I said that."




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"Dr. Dean has acknowledged describing Medicare as 'one of the worst federal programs ever.' But the issue has become a contentious one, and Dr. Dean repeatedly sidestepped questions today about why he was quoted speaking in support of Mr. Gingrich during the budget battle of 1995, when conservatives sought to extract $270 billion from Medicare. That proposal was fiercely opposed by President Bill Clinton and Democrats in Congress, including Mr. Gephardt, who was majority leader in the House."




"I did support slowing the growth of Medicare. And I think that was a good thing."