[MsLady]

We could save a ton, if we got rid of medicaid and medicare and gave those people vouchers to go out and buy their own insurance. If we gave say 5000 a year to a single person and that person found good insurance that was only 4000 a year, they'd get to keep the other 1000. Plus most or all the costs of the buildings and people that work for medicaid and medicare would end. It would also cut down fraud and abuse and paper work, the greenies should like that. Insurance companies look out for their business unlike government who doesn't really give a rip.

We could end the IRS, plus the buildings that have to be rented, bought heated, air conditions, up keep, ect. If we just had a national sales tax.

[Kellis91789]

While I agree with vouchers in general, your numbers are way off.

I’m only 45 and have to pay for my own insurance. It isn’t even great health insurance, but it costs me $8800/yr.

You know what would lower healthcare costs hugely ? Switch the income tax to a flat 10% rate. It would raise the same money, but would stop inflating doctors’ fees to pay their 40% tax rate. They do employ lower-taxed lower-wage people, but still 25% of doctors’ fees are going straight into the tax coffers.

[Wuli]

It would be better to (a) either limit the amount offered for Medicaid to an amount based on income or lower the threshold for Medicaid, and (b)require the amount the individual does not need for the health plan they chose to go into a health savings account - which would result in more people taking less costly plans and paying more medical expenses directly out of their health savings account, causing them to be more frugal and do more comparison pricing for the services they pay for that way.