Seniors Forced to Shoulder Consequences of Healthcare Takeover

Democrats ‘Eager’ To Try To Sell Healthcare Takeover To Constituents:

“Play offense and ‘don’t run away’ from health care reform. That’s the advice Democratic leadership is giving rank-and-file members as they fan out across the country to their home districts with a health care victory in their pocket…‘Members were eager to get out of here, go back to their districts and start talking about this thing,’ Rep. Chris Van Hollen’s spokesman Doug Thornell told TPMDC in an interview Friday.” (Christina Bellatoni, “No August Repeats: How the Dems Are Approaching Recess with HCR Victory Behind Them,” Talking Points Memo, 3/29/10)

RED ALERT: Seniors Oppose Healthcare Takeover Plan, Forced To Shoulder Consequences Of Massive Coverage Cuts:

“Seniors aren’t celebrating President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. While Democrats hail the sweeping legislation as the greatest expansion of the social safety net since Medicare, they also fear that seniors won’t see it that way for this fall’s elections…An Associated Press-GfK survey in March found that 54 percent of seniors opposed the legislation that was then taking final shape in Congress, compared with 36 percent of people age 18-50. And last week a USA Today/Gallup Poll found that a majority of seniors said passing the bill was a bad thing… There’s no doubt that broad cuts in projected Medicare payments to insurance plans, hospitals, nursing homes and other service providers will sting.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Seniors Wary of Health Overhaul Impact on Medicare,” Associated Press, 4/1/10)