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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: NOW who wrote (6899)	6/6/2009 8:22:07 AM
From: skinowski	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

This doc is right on very many things. Inter alia, he is right that Medicare Advantage movement, while saving Medicare 5%, gave a huge chunk of business and profits to insurance co's. If it showed anything, it is that one can hand over to middlemen 20% or more of the funding, and still be able to provide decent care to the beneficiaries. The big disconnect in that interesting rant is, of course, that while some of his most bitter complaints relate to the way the "public sector" - Medicare - is run.... still, he wants to have them take over everything, all at once. With all respect, this sounds more like desperation, rather than serious judgment. What about the many absurdities in the system - like, for example, that permanent pending Sword of Damocles 20% cut across the board - which needs to be rescinded at regular intervals? When Medicare was first introduced, it made sense to farm out its implementation to local carriers. By now, we have enough experience - and computer power - to try administering the entire program directly, without participation from middlemen insurance companies. Let's try that!! If - and that is a big IF - this works, then we may begin to consider expanding the program. Without such a try, going directly to "National Medicare" would be a huge reckless leap. Btw, do you have a link? I'd like to check in on their discussion.

To: NOW who wrote (6899)	6/8/2009 12:08:48 PM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

But needing an annual emergency fix for cuts based on an obsolete formula that everyone agrees is wrong, but nobody will fix, is an insane way to run a health care system. If Medicare is so insane, why should we think the government would do better with a new system? It might not make the same mistakes but there are plenty of new mistakes to be made. How about we fix Medicare and Medicaid, making both more cost-effective, and otherwise well run, before we move on to try to cover everyone else with a new government program.