Can't Trust Tommy with Medicare Trust Fund

We all know that Tommy Thompson declared that he would "do away with" Medicare and Medicaid.  He has tried to spin away from his declaration to the tea party extremists but we have more than that moment of honesty.  We have an actual track record showing just how Medicare fared under Tommy Thompson's care.

In 2001, when Tommy Thompson became Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund was projected to be exhausted in the year 2029. [2001 CMS Trustees Testimony to Congress]

In 2005, when Tommy Thompson left Health and Human Services, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund was projected to be exhausted in the year 2020. That is a loss of 9 years on Tommy's four year watch.[2005 CM Trustees Report]

Even though Tommy Thompson served as George W. Bush's HHS Secretary, in 2008, he criticized the failure of the Bush Administration to address the problems of Medicare. Thompson then said that "Medicare is going broke by 2012, 2013."

Fast forward to the point where President Obama took office and before the Affordable Care Act passed. The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund was projected to be exhausted in the year 2017. That is where the Bush Administration (including Tommy) left President Obama. [2009 CM Trustees Report]

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) reduces the rate of growth in Medicare spending, with savings that eliminate waste and inefficiencies. The ACA targets wasteful programs and ensures that taxpayer money is efficiently filtered back into the health care system, allowing seniors to get preventive care without copays. Regardless of Tommy's ridiculous lies on the subject the $700 billion in identified savings actually help extend the life of Medicare.

Tommy Thompson wants to repeal ACA and in doing so he will be undermining the long term prospects of Medicare.  We have no reason to doubt that he would sacrifice Medicare to his new found right wing ideology. He has said as much, he has pledged allegiance to Paul Ryan's voucher-care concept and lets face it his track record on extending the life of Medicare has never been a good one.

Tommy predicted that Medicare would go broke by 2012 or 2013 and if his policy positions and history are any indication, he apparently intends to make that prediction come true.