[kabar]

There are two ways to cut Medicare and Medicaid: The first is to screw everyone while the second is to enforce the law and start locking up health care providers, executives and pharma for anti-trust violations that embody law on the books for over 100 years.

Trump has now proved he is going to do neither, despite it being fact that the latter not only doesn’t require Congressional consent (since the law already exists) Congress can’t stop him from doing so either (since the Executive is exclusively entrusted with enforcing law under the Constitution.)

Both Medicare and SS are unsustainable actuarially as currently structured. They are pay as you go programs with today's workers paying for today's retirees. In 1950 there were 16 workers for every reitree; today, there are less than three; and by 2030 there will be just two workers for every retiree.

The only way Medicare and SS can be made sustainable is to either decrease benefits or increase taxes or some combination thereof. We have 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day for the next 20 years. The population over 65 will double by 2030.

Cutting the budgets of EPA, State Department, etc will not save these entitlement programs. Over two-thirds of the budget are dedicated to the entitlement programs and debt servicing costs. Our aging population will increase that percentage of the budget for entitlement programs unless we reform the programs.

Trump is smart not to take the lead on entitlement reform. Both parties must take responsibility for reform. The Dems will attack the Reps politically if they initiate reform actions using their old playbook that the Reps want to take away Medicare and SS from the elderly. Trump outsmarted the Dems during the campaign saying he wanted to preserve both programs and not cut benefits.

[dp0622]

THIS IS GREAT to show.

EPA, for all the bluster, slashing wouldn’t put a DENT in our debt compared to Medicare and SS.

It’s just the truth. Besides Medicare, SS and the military, only so much can be saved

and NOT NEARLY enough to offset the future medicare growth.

It’s not fair but everyone under 55 should not receive until 70.

Or there will be no country to retire in.

[existentially_kuffer]

I wonder what the income side was for 2015, including sources.

[i_robot73]

Missing from any post are the words: Ponzi, illegal, unconstitutional.

There’s only one ‘valid’ way to cut MediXYZ: Follow and enforce the Constitution and call it what it is....void from the get-go.

Then add in EPA, TSA, NSA, OSHA, etc. and people can start saving their OWN $$, for their OWN h’care ‘expenses’....or whatever THEY wish to spend their $$ upon.