Bad Medicare Math

Wall Street Journal ^ | editorial

[The Raven]

The Bush White House has been accused of lying about all kinds of things, most of the time without proof. But a flap over its low-balled cost estimates for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit has even its allies concerned.

[Bombard]

Since when do they really know the costs of any of these programs?

[Jim Noble]

What's a hundred million on top of $45 trillion in unfunded liabilities?

And how do you suppose they're going to pay for all healthcare in the US after they crash the system we have now?

Printing money, that's how.

[chainsaw]

he was ordered to hush up about his own 10-year estimates

And the weather man is right 100% of the time about next weeks weather.

[tob2]

That's the point, they don't. The problem I have with this plan is that the deductible to the insured is built into the middle range of the program, not the beginning. Medicare pays when people are sick. They need to rethink their focus and pay for preventive measures as well, as do other insurance companies. Prevention is less expensive than being sick.