The House GOP is considering privatizing Medicare. This is not new; it's been raised before. But most Americans -- including Tea Partiers who would otherwise limit the size of government -- do not want any cuts in Medicare.
Do we need to cut entitlements to control the deficit? We know that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are the biggest chunks of the budget, along with defense spending. But are you ready to raise the retirement age? What about means testing for Social Security, so the wealthy don't get any?
The GOP tends to talk about privatization as a cost cutting measure, claiming that it doesn't reduce benefits. I'm skeptical of that claim, as are most Americans.
But as the federal government grapples with the deficit, watch for proposals like this one. Jennifer
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Did the private insurance industry do a bang up job on saving money with Medicare Advantage plans?
ReplyDeleteTo help finance health reform, Congress cut $136 billion over 10 years from the program, in which private insurers provide Medicare health plans for seniors. The private plans, which are paid a flat fee from the government for each enrollee were a likely target: They cost the government much more per beneficiary, on average, than does traditional Medicare, according to Medicare’s advisory commission.
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2010/August/06/medicare-advantage.aspx
They kept asking the government for more money to manage the Medicare Advantage plans, especially in FL.