Page 18 - Means Testing News Today

Hes a good man, and im going to say this on this issue, hes right. but heres the thing, its very cynical, because the president put it in because republicans asked him to make it part of the deal, and then immediately attack him for it, but i do think if youre going to take a political calculation, you should believe that youre going to be able to sell what is fair, and this is where jonathan and i disagree. this is an unfair strategy. now, means testing the top 25% of income earners, something ...

Discussion about lowering or putting up the age as to when youre entitled to receive it. >>brian: means testing will not be a part of it. if you dont need social security, youre going to get it. >>steve: the president has been in office over four years. why is he talking about taking a whack at entitlements? he wants to reach across with the republicans. hes going to have dinner with a dozen of them tonight. he wants to appear that he is essentially caving to some of their needs. remember, he al...

Martha: right now, right? they would cut them for sure. >> right now immediately. eye not prospective, its immediately. you know, the thing that is important to remember is in the last four years the average benefit per year has been 1.3%, and in two of those years there was zero cola. anybody, any politician who thinks that is too generous will have a very rude awakening november of next year. martha: i hear what youre saying. let me ask you this. what was wrong with the paul ryan plan which wo...

In fact i think we were this close to an agreement in december and the president is staying right where he was. that shows he is really come more than half way and is willing to keep that offer on the table, even though it is not his ideal proposal. but the idea is to find that compromise where everybody gives a little. but we can move our country forward and help create jobs and get this recovery moving. i think its -- i think it is the case that the president has met, when i say met their dema...

Budget. start with the budget. do you think that the presidents framework that he announced, including change cpi, a gradual way to cut social security benefits, is a good-faith effort on his part? do you think he can actually win some new revenues as a budget deal by doing it? >> there are nuggets of his budget that i think are optimistic. its overall a bad plan for the economy, but when you look at cpi, were beginning to set the stage for the grand bargain. change cpi. harmonize, adjust medica...

That peoples benefits dont go up and also you can have means testing for people who have more money, and you know, so there are a variety of ways. another thing which the president a had on the table during early negotiations supposedly isnt now. do you raise the eligibility age for medicare. >> eric: these are the issues and americans want action and answers. maybe were a teeny bit getting there. >> thats right. we saw the light at the end of the tunnel on "fox news sunday". >> thats exactly it...

Over, its only beginning. we have got until september to come up with something. it could happen and it really depends on the republicans willingness to embrace some revenue. >> the thing is, willie, if you go back to what the president said in 2005 and 2006 and 2007 and 2008, the president really did talk all the time about needing to reform medicare, medicaid, social security. its what he ran on. >> exactly. >> i think if the president is practicing mat ti pragmatic, if the deal is big enough ...

We talked about it on "meet the press" sunday. does the president start to make a shift where he doesnt just signal that he is willing to do entitlement cuts, that he is willing to do means testing, that he is willing to do that gradual reduction of benefits but he starts affirmatively talking about the need to take on entitlement reform. dick durbin, a progressive senator from illinois who voted for the simpson/bowles said we have to do something about medicare and social security. we have to t...

To help reduce costs and we ask for prescription drug companies to paying the same kind of rebates they were paying in 2003 for theme on medicare and medicaid. ways to do this without hurting beneficiaries and benefits and where that discussion will take place. >> i dont think anybody is going to go for vouchers, quite frankly, but what about means testing? means those older and can afford it will help pay for their own medicare if they are in upper brackets? >> right. here is the thing. we alre...

Going to. >> bill: criticized by his own party that the age of people getting entitlements like medicare and social security might be raised. and the affluent level. >> really? thats fascinating. >> bill: those are specifics. >> thats in obamas plan. >> bill: what age exactly. >> let me give you the exact line where it says encourage beneficiaries to seek high value healthcare and ask the most fortunate to pay more. its called means testing. thats how you start a negotiation. >> bill: this is wh...