McCain's Not Raising Taxes To Pay For His Health Care Plan, He's Cutting Medicare.

McCain advisers have admitted that he is going to cut Medicare. The "Old Fart" isn't quite ready for Medicare but will be in the not too distant future so, to say that cutting health care benefits for one group to provide benefits for another is the answer to our health care mess is pure crap. The only candidate who will address this issue where we have any chance of seeing improvement is Obama.

From the Wall Street Journal.

John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs.

The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan "budget neutral," as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn't given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn't dispute the analysts' estimate.

In the months since Sen. McCain introduced his health plan, statements made by his campaign have implied that the new tax credits he is proposing to help Americans buy health insurance would be paid for with other tax increases.

But Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Sen. McCain's senior policy adviser, said Sunday that the campaign has always planned to fund the tax credits, in part, with savings from Medicare and Medicaid. Those government health-care programs serve seniors, poor families and the disabled. Medicare spending for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 is estimated at $457.5 billion.