Hensarling Might Be Crazy...Or Just Not Very Smart

Yglesias leaves me hanging on this one. I'm confused as to whether or not Rep. Jeb Hensarling's mother is actually on Medicare.  It's possible she has a private plan and chose to opt of out Medicare even though she may qualify for it.  Chances are, though, she is on Medicare but Yglesias never says that.  Only that she is eligible.

The point is if she's on Medicare then Hensarling (R-TX) saying the following makes him eligible for a room with rubber walls.

Here’s my story, two days ago, I was in San Antonio, Texas, and my mother had a large tumor removed from her head. They wheeled her away at 7:20 in the morning, and by noon, I was talking to her along with the rest of our family. It proved benign, thanks to a lot of prayers and good doctors at the Methodist hospital in San Antonio. My mother’s fine. I’m not sure that would be the outcome in Canada, the U.K., or anywhere in Europe.

No disrespect to our President, but when it comes to the health of my mother, I don’t want this President or any President or his bureaucrat or commissions making decisions for my loved ones. Let’s repeal it today, replace it tomorrow.

Medicare is a single-payer government-run health care program.  President Obama's health care reform is neither.  In fact, it uses private companies to supply people with access to health care.  The government's role is merely that it forces private businesses to offer insurance to everyone.  But Medicare is completely different.  It is absolutely "bureaucrats or commissions making decisions" for loved ones.  And unless Rep. Hensarling's mother is wealthy and has opted out of Medicare, it's exactly the program Hensarling claims saved his momma.

Like I said, Yglesias doesn't follow through on this one. If she had a private plan and used that for treatment then his post is baseless. But if she did use Medicare then yes Hensarling is a complete idiot and Matt is only mildly retarded.