Medicare's 44th Anniversary

[one...two...tree 2,762]

JOHN GEYMAN

Geyman is professor emeritus of family medicine at the University of Washington. He is past president of Physicians for a National Health Program and author of the book Shredding the Social Contract: The Privatization of Medicare.

He said today: "Medicare on its 44th birthday is remarkably successful. It's the one solid rock we have in our disjointed healthcare system. It covers 43 million Americans age 65 and older as well as some 2 million disabled people. It is consistently rated more highly than private insurance in terms of reliability and quality of coverage. It provides a comprehensive set of benefits, free choice of providers and hospitals anywhere in the country, and simplified administration with an overhead of only 3 percent -- versus administrative overhead and profit-taking five to nine times larger for private insurers.

"Medicare was passed in 1965 after a fierce political debate even more divisive than the one we're having now. Those opposed to reform today are saying that a government program will get between you and your doctor. But traditional unprivatized Medicare shows that to be untrue -- less bureaucracy than that of the private insurance industry, with its more than 1,300 insurers working hard to cherry pick the market for their maximal revenue by denying claims or even canceling coverage.

"Despite its successes, Medicare is not a perfect program. It would be even more successful were it not for political compromises along the way allowing it to be privatized. A good example is the Medicare legislation of 2003. The problem was soaring prices of prescription drugs. The result has been a bonanza for the drug and insurance industries. The new drug benefit was handed over to the private sector to manage, prices have continued up unabated, the government was prohibited from negotiating lower prices as the Veterans Administration does, and new subsidies were offered to private insurers for Medicare Advantage, private Medicare plans that seek out healthier Medicare beneficiaries.

"The same forces are at work today as healthcare reform proposals make their way through Congress. Under pressure from industry and their lobbyists, the public plan has been watered down to a small and ineffectual option at best, if it ever survives to being enacted. But the strengths of traditional Medicare as a system of social insurance, coupled with a private delivery system, remains a solid foundation upon which to build a better system in this country in terms of access, affordability, quality, efficiency and reliability."

http://www.accuracy.org/newsrelease.php?articleId=2045

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Why is the GOP not moving aggressively to abandon this socialist scheme? We're told that government run health care doesn't work. Why has the GOP not made serious efforts to rid the nation of this failing, socialist adventure? They had 6 years holding both Congress and the White House to free us of this socialist encroachment. They haven't. Why?

[GaryC 7]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Joe Weisenthal|May. 12, 2009, 3:32 PM|10

PrintTags: Economy, Countrywide, Health, U.S. Government

We're officially past the point where Social Security and Medicare insolvency are far-off problems that we can ignore.

Medicare is going bust sooner than we expected. And this isn't some crazy, partisan rambling. This is coming straight from the government, which just updated their numbers based on new tax data. Here's what Tim Geithner said in a statement:

"The Medicare Trustees Report makes clear today there is no more important long-term fiscal policy measure than gaining control of the growth of Medicare costs by delivering health care services more efficiently. These savings can only be achieved in the context of a larger effort to control health care costs and improve quality more generally. The most effective entitlement reform measure will be a major health reform that helps bring down the growth rate of national health care spending. The Administration is committed to working with Congress to find ways to control runaway growth in both public and private health care expenditures while helping to ensure that all Americans receive the high quality, affordable health care they deserve. The recent commitment of major health stakeholders to help lower the annual growth rate in costs by 1.5% represents a crucial step in that direction.

"The Trustees Reports come to the following conclusions.

The Medicare program's financial challenges are larger and more imminent than those of Social Security. Medicare faces demographic challenges, rapidly growing health care costs and the short-term outlook has been hurt by the recession. Medicare's annual costs were 3.2 percent of GDP in 2008, or nearly three-quarters of Social Security's, but are projected to surpass Social Security expenditures in 2028 and to reach 11.4 percent of GDP in 2083, compared with 5.9 percent for Social Security.

Medicare's Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is projected to become insolvent in 2017, two years earlier than projected in last year's Report.

The cost of Medicare's Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) to the federal government is projected to increase rapidly. General revenue financing for SMI is expected to increase from about 1.3 percent of GDP in 2008 to over 4.7 percent in 2083, with continued increases beyond 75 years.

As you can see, Geithner takes a measured tone in his writing, but this really is an extremely urgent crisis.

That being said, there is good news, when you take a step back. Big picture, it's not about funding Medicare or Social Security (which had its lifespan clipped by four years) it's about taking care of old people. That's not necessarily or the same thing. Medicare and Social Security may not be sustainable, but a rich society should be able to care for aged retirees.

http://www.businessinsider.com/medicare-in...-8-years-2009-5

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Why is the GOP not moving aggressively to abandon this socialist scheme? We're told that government run health care doesn't work. Why has the GOP not made serious efforts to rid the nation of this failing, socialist adventure? They had 6 years holding both Congress and the White House to free us of this socialist encroachment. They haven't. Why?

Because the chicken hawks in Washington know it would be political suicide. All those retirees would teabagging them.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

The Right Wingers vacillate between saying Social Security and Medicare don't work and saying they will be solvent in a few years. They go on and on with this like a noisy gong because if they were to admit that a government program actually works, their whole ideology crumbles like a stale cookie. They keep themselves in perpetual state of denial.

[GaryC 7]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

Yeah I get the picture. Medicare has been mismanaged to the point of insolvency. I wouldn't hold it up as an example of what the government can do. It is a failure.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

Yeah I get the picture. Medicare has been mismanaged to the point of insolvency. I wouldn't hold it up as an example of what the government can do. It is a failure.

Medicare would be flush with cash if it had milked the American public the way the private insurance does. Or, reversely, if the private insurance industry had shown the same restraint on contributions from the public, it would have gone bust years ago. Talk about mismanagement.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Well, they pay my medical expenses so I really should be greatful for the handout.

[GaryC 7]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

Yeah I get the picture. Medicare has been mismanaged to the point of insolvency. I wouldn't hold it up as an example of what the government can do. It is a failure.

Medicare would be flush with cash if it had milked the American public the way the private insurance does. Or, reversely, if the private insurance industry had shown the same restraint on contributions from the public, it would have gone bust years ago. Talk about mismanagement.

Your right, talk about missmanagement. Without huge increases in premiums Medicare is going bust. And you want the entire nation to suffer with this? Not me!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Well, they pay my medical expenses so I really should be greatful for the handout.

You dirty Communist. Get a job, will ya'?

[Nagishkaw 510]

[alienlovechild 75]

Your right, talk about missmanagement. Without huge increases in premiums Medicare is going bust. And you want the entire nation to suffer with this? Not me!

They don't care. It's the same with Obamacare. They won't look at balance sheets are long as they can rack up debt and dependency for votes. I don't care if I never use those programs but the bad thing is I paid for them.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

Yeah I get the picture. Medicare has been mismanaged to the point of insolvency. I wouldn't hold it up as an example of what the government can do. It is a failure.

Medicare would be flush with cash if it had milked the American public the way the private insurance does. Or, reversely, if the private insurance industry had shown the same restraint on contributions from the public, it would have gone bust years ago. Talk about mismanagement.

Your right, talk about missmanagement. Without huge increases in premiums Medicare is going bust. And you want the entire nation to suffer with this? Not me!

Gary, you're disregarding the feisty reality once again. Medicare is alive on the same 2.9% rate it collected 20 years ago. The private insurers jacked up their rates by over 100% over the last ten years alone. Tell me that you believe that they would be alive and well today if they hadn't gone for the big grab into your pocket and mine year after year.

[GaryC 7]

Medicare Insolvent In 8 Years

Medicare rates have increased 0% over the last decade - they were 2.9% in 1999 and are 2.9% today. In fact, the rate was the same 2.9% 20 years ago.

Private health insurance cost, on the other hand, has slightly more than doubled over the last decade alone.

Get the picture?

Yeah I get the picture. Medicare has been mismanaged to the point of insolvency. I wouldn't hold it up as an example of what the government can do. It is a failure.

Medicare would be flush with cash if it had milked the American public the way the private insurance does. Or, reversely, if the private insurance industry had shown the same restraint on contributions from the public, it would have gone bust years ago. Talk about mismanagement.

Your right, talk about missmanagement. Without huge increases in premiums Medicare is going bust. And you want the entire nation to suffer with this? Not me!

Gary, you're disregarding the feisty reality once again. Medicare is alive on the same 2.9% rate it collected 20 years ago. The private insurers jacked up their rates by over 100% over the last ten years alone. Tell me that you believe that they would be alive and well today if they hadn't gone for the big grab into your pocket and mine year after year.

Nope, they would be going broke just like medicare is. You are making my point, the government can't run health care as well as private companies can.