Medicare is an entitlement program. So now we're not permitted to change an entitlement program unless the people receiving that entitlement approve of any changes??
If expecting people to pay for the care they receive is what the public mandate is then I guess I'm for it.
Based on your defense of Medicare, you're clearly not in favor of people "paying for the care they receive." In fact, they're entitled to have other people pay for it, and we can't change that unless they "approve" of that change.
Ever since Medicare was created, people have built their lives around it. All their expectations and actions have been built around it.
It is an entitlement and is going bankrupt and must be changed. But an 80 year old should not suddenly have Medicare substantially changed to their detriment. It is politicians’ fault that they promised something that people counted on but is not sustainable. Do not needlessly punish their victims. There are millions of people who actually swear to you that the premiums deducted for Medicare means they have “paid for” their Medicare, just like they believe that they have “paid for” their Social Security through withholding.
The way around this is to let them keep it...they will die soon enough anyway from old age. But things have to change for people below the elderly age.
Medicare is an entitlement, but the people who benefit from it pay for it.
Although it’s not enough to cover the cost, those who benefit from Medicare are paying a price for what they get. The ones I’m talking about are the thirty-somethings who choose to drive a new car rather than have health insurance. They get sick and I have to pay for their care. I can’t drive their car, and I can’t afford a new car because my insurance is twice what it should be because I’m paying for me AND for them. Where’s the equity in that?
When that thirty-something gets sick and has made no provision for primary medical care he or she shows up at the emergency room where they have no choice but to treat them. Sometimes it’s a lot more than a cough, cold or sore hole, more like a gunshot wound or some other trauma. They walk out with out paying a cent and then it’s up to me, and Medicare and United Health Care, and you and every other patient who pays for their care to pick up the tab.
I HAVE to pay for Medicare AND I have to pay another $300 a month in addition just to be sure that if I need another new hip or have a heart attack I am not a burden on others like me. I pay as much for my medical insurance under Medicare as I paid for my plan through my employer.
Don’t lose sight of the question that was asked, and that was, should Republicans vote against the will of the people and force a program on them they don’t understand and/or don’t want? The response was, it doesn’t matter whether the forced program is from the Left or the Right, it’s not good government.
I honestly don’t think we’re as far apart as it seems. The Left has confused the issue so badly over the years to make sure their ability to feather their nests at our expense that it’s tough to separate the aspects of medical care in America. It’s not one big monolithic system. A huge amount of money is spent every year in the name of Medicare that has nothing to do with medical care for those 65 and above. But when more is spent than brought in it’s the retiree who gets the bad rap.