The Problem with Medicare
According to an op-ed piece in today's Boston Globe, Medicare is "seriously flawed." Not because the for-profit health care industry that Medicare has to deal with is uniquely inefficient and expensive. Oh no. The reasons have more to do with those old ingrates who use it:
"It is well documented that retirees will undertake treatment as long as the value of that care is more than the co payment for which they are responsible."
"[A]ny change [to Medicare] that leaves the elderly worse off than before will lead to swift condemnation and ballot box reprisals by a large and vocal segment of the population."
Where's the outrage here? Not only are these old bastards taking advantage of relatively affordable co-payments to stay healthy, they actually vote, scaring away the politicians who might otherwise do the right thing — water-down Medicare. Sure it would leave the elderly worse off than before, but hell, we'll all save a few bucks on our tax bills.
Oh, and by the way, kick the Medicare crutch out from under these geezers and very shortly, they'll no longer be such "a large and vocal segment of the population."
Sicko...
Comments
That grey power is a powerful lobby. The sure have the politicians here quaking in their boots.
That could well be a factor in my current campaign, given the reduced funding to health infrastructure in an aged care region of the country.
Posted by: Cartledge | June 9, 2007 03:42 PM
What better way to say Thanks to our elders for a lifetime of hard work than to cut back on health care funding.
Posted by: abi | June 9, 2007 07:10 PM