Extend Medicare to others

Addendum, See today's, Sunday, Feb. 25, NY Times.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 — As the National Governors Association began its winter meeting, 13 governors expressed alarm on Saturday that they were about to run out of federal money for a popular program that provides health insurance to children. Section 1, p.15

Kids don't need health insurance, they need health care, and during my 74 years they have always had that. What do you suppose the administrative overhead will be for "Universal Health Insurance"?

Come on...don't you know money grows on trees! Politicians have known that for years.

Somebody said, "If you think health care is expensive now, just wait to see how much more it costs when it's free."

With Medicare, along with Social Security, set to break the federal budget as the Baby Boomers retire, it seems a little irresponsible for people - or politicians - to call for expansion of these unsustainable - if well intentioned - programs.

But then I guess we can always pass another cigarette tax - or make the oil companies and the rich pay for it.

I don’t normally care to comment on national matters, but the lead post displays a terrifying level of naiveté.

The present value of the unfunded liabilities for Medicare is about 65 trillion dollars. The entire GNP of the US is only about 13 trillion dollars. Anyone under 50 who thinks that he is going to receive Medicare benefits that are even close to today’s level is a fool.

The intergenerational transfer of wealth promulgated by Medicare and Social Security has been a great deal for senior like the Lees. I see why they think Medicare should be expanded. Fortunately for the Lee’s, they’ll be long dead by the time the bill for the folly of Medicare come due. Of course, it makes far more economic (and moral) sense for taxes to fund the health care of poor children rather than the wealthy elderly.

Watch and learn!

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From the comments posted here opposing Medicare Palo Alto seems to be at total odds with the country as a whole. Most people, including Congress, support Medicare because it works as does Social Security both now and in the future.. We should roll our children's insurance programs into it. See this mornings NY Times.

WASHINGTON | February 27, 2007
Child Health Care Splits White House and States
By ROBERT PEAR
Governors pressed President Bush to provide more money so they could guarantee health insurance for children.

Marvin and Alison Lee

Most in Congress support Medicare because it buys the votes of retired people like the Lees at the expense of our children ... who can't vote.... And as 14k/yr points out will be picking up the tab for the lavish medical benefits consumed by the Lees' generation for decades to come.

See today's NY Times front page date lined Washington, March 2, 2007. The ask yourself, Is Palo Alto out of line with the country as a whole or is it just Palo alto on line? From the NY Times, "Most Support US Guarantee of Health Care".

We ask, why not use what we already have had years of experience with since Medicare was first established by President Johnson?

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?