There really is no conservative argument against this. Medicare is currently really screwing up our health system. Right now, they deduct $89/mo from my SS check and pay the HMO $800/mo for me. There is no way I paid in enough in little Medicare deductions to justify these claims. They pay the docs so little that they have to protect themselves by limiting Medicare patients.
Most people assume that because they paid in payroll taxes that they are entitled to benefits. But none of us pay in anything like what we would claim. I realized this when I got disabiity. In the first two years I had collected more than I had paid in working. but I may collect for 30 years.
If they make deductions competitive, that will stimulate people to shop alternatives. Many already pay $150/mo for Medigap.
I really don't know what the answers are to the heath care of the nation are, There are too many cares of the world right now for me to be following it. But I do know though that eventually I will be effected by it. If past observations of my parents are any indication of where we are headed, then it will be a no brainer that even if I haven't given it much thought I will be force to give it some thought in the very near future. For even though I've mentioned my dad's pension which is really out of the subject matter, I hadn't mention that his whole pension was going for health care for taking early retirement and for paying for health care for mom. But now that she has reached the age of 62, things haven't changed much for all of his pension plus some is still going to pay for what Medicare, or what ever the old age insurance is, isn't covering.
Interesting home page, I spent one year in the Omaha area while stationed at Offutt AFB, would of stayed in that area after I got out except it's just too damn cold in Nebraska, and I was raised in Michigan, eventually I moved to Tennessee, a little bit warmer, and am now thinking of even moving further south if the opportunity prevails itself.