Confusion: It’s Not Just For Old People Anymore

In a rare, harmonic convergence of things that relate to health care and things that are actually funny, reader DO writes in to direct me to Bush’s most recent, totally lucid, absolutely-not-off-the-wagon-at-all, explanation of his Medicare plan:

WOMAN IN AUDIENCE: ‘I don’t really understand. How is it the new plan going to fix the problem?’

Verbatim response: PRESIDENT BUSH:

‘Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table. Whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to that has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled. Look, there’s a series of things that cause the — like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate — the benefits will rise based upon inflation, supposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those — if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.’

Considering Bush’s explanation of his own goddamn bill has the crisp lucidity of a hyperactive seven-year-old who got into the glue, it’s a wonder the Medicare rollout has been a mere fiery wreck and not, in fact, the end of civilization itself. If I turn out to be wrong on that, though, dibs on the book title “The Eschatology of Medicare.”

Update: Snopes seems to think this is about Medicare and Social Security. As a reader e-mails and a closer inspection proves, this is really only about Social Security. I should’ve known. Nothing funny ever happens on the health care beat.

— Ezra Klein

Muddle of the Road [Snopes]

READ MORE: armageddon, bush, health care, medicare