Medicaid was a perversion from the very start, because it tried to institutionalize and mandate charity by the national government (no longer call it federal, because it isn’t).
And, as H.L. Mencken observed, “When man ‘A’ takes from man ‘B’ to reward man ‘C’, then man ‘A’ is a S.O.B.”
In any even, the fastest way to restore order to both Medicaid and Medicare is to make the money for both as bloc grants to the states, for them to decide how to use. And once that years’ bloc grant is exhausted, any additional money must come from the state, if it so chooses.
As things are now, costs will continue to rise, and benefits to shrink, until the programs would consume our entire budget and do nothing at all.
>>As things are now, costs will continue to rise, and benefits to shrink, until the programs would consume our entire budget and do nothing at all.
They will buy your pain pills, as Obama indicated. Morphine tablets can be had for mere pennies. With a little phenobarbital and some mirtazepam, you’ll go out with a blissful, if confused, smile on your face.
Such is the “charity” of the state.
The ACA seems to rule out any meaningful state ‘administration’.
The most likely outcome is for the states to be required to quit balancing their budgets. That can probably be done by a simple Federal law (not sure).