Posted by
beentheredonethatinky on Monday, June 22, 2009 7:53:02 PM
The issue is the privatization of Medicare not socializing "everyones' care." When government decides to bring back into the capitalist fold the millions that are now out of it, Medicare and Medicaid, then competitiveness will increase and prices will decline. For the past 45 years, the government has been creating an artificial health care market, continuously driving up "private care" prices instead of taxes. The reserve methodology used by the insurance industry has been completely distorted by the government's involvement in health care. Who knows what reserves are needed? It will especially get "pricey" when the baby boomers hit the Medicare rolls. The younger generation will have to pay tax rates probably up to 60% and 70% not including state and local taxes. We are headed for a depression that will be a lot worse than the "great depression." This one will be the "technology decreased" depression and millions of lives lost. This is what happens when the government does what our framers did not intend for it to do.
The 1934 Social Security Act's sole purpose was to raise revenue. They passed it under the disguise of helping "old sick and disabled people." They were able to use the revenue raised through taxes for 75 years - not caring whether or not they had it available to pay out when the time came for the baby boomers. The Supreme Court has ruled that SS and Medicare are not "insurance programs" and the citizens have no legal claim on their benefits; the benefits are solely at the discretion of the Congress.
It will be the same with health care reform. It will be a "revenue raising or enhancement act" and our premiums will go to the government instead of the insurers. Then, when they can't raise taxes any higher, services will be restricted, reduced, or outlawed. It takes approximately 2.5 years to obtain social security disability; how long will it take to obtain a heart stent or bypass? If ever. The government's obligations are clearly laid out in the Constitution, but our politicians refuse to follow it calling it a "living, breathing document" subject to "society's changes and whims." Yes. We'll see changes in our society, but they cannot be positive ones and they will be at the "whim" of politicians. When we're all dissatisfied, where will we go? At least with the private market, you have choices. With the government market, you only have taxes and death.