Via AmericaBlog: Lieberman proposes "privatizing health insurance for seniors"

Lieberman proposes "privatizing health insurance for seniors"

Paul Krugman (Americablog emphasis):

Every once in a while a politician comes up with an idea that’s so bad, so wrongheaded, that you’re almost grateful. For really bad ideas can help illustrate the extent to which policy discourse has gone off the rails.

And so it was with Senator Joseph Lieberman’s proposal, released last week, to raise the age for Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67.

Like Republicans who want to end Medicare as we know it and replace it with (grossly inadequate) insurance vouchers, Mr. Lieberman describes his proposal as a way to save Medicare. ... And here’s what you need to know: Medicare actually saves money — a lot of money — compared with relying on private insurance companies. And this in turn means that pushing people out of Medicare, in addition to depriving many Americans of needed care, would almost surely end up increasing total health care costs.

Krugman focuses on the last point bolded above, that Medicare actually saves money over private insurance. That's true, and he expands that point in this blog post.

But let's focus on the messenger, Sen. Joe Lieberman. Is he a kind of closet Obama surrogate? Isn't he the guy whom Obama supported in 2006 over the actual (and betrayed) Democratic Party candidate, Ned Lamont?

Didn't Obama save Lieberman's chairmanship after the 2008 election? I think I remember that.

Seems like Lieberman is Mr. Trial Balloon from time to time. Does he speak for Obama now? Because if he does, here's how Krugman characterizes Lieberman's proposal (my emphasis):

The point, however, is that privatizing health insurance for seniors, which is what Mr. Lieberman is in effect proposing — and which is the essence of the G.O.P. plan — hurts rather than helps the cause of cost control.

I think someone needs to nail this down. Does Obama support Lieberman here as well? The President sure hasn't been that strong on Medicare lately.

GP