So, You Want to Know Why We Have No Money for Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid?

reply to post by crimvelvet


I guess that when it comes to politicians, it's "Do as I say and not as I do."

For ten years preceding my retirement, I was 1 of 8 labor trustees along with 8 trustees from management who were in charge of administration and investment strategy for 4 multi-employer trust funds. These funds provided for Health & Welfare, Pensions (defined benefit), Retirements (defined contribution), and Vacation funds respectively. Their collective assets exceeded 500 million but because we were "union" and not-for-profit, the rules governing our benefit trust funds are mandated under the ERISA act. Under those regulations, we were not even allowed to do so much as to co-mingle funds much less utilize them for any purpose other than to provide benefits for the beneficiaries of the trusts.

Again I say, "It's unbelievable what these people have done with our money!" They sure as hell wouldn't allow me to do that with your money. By the way, our union trust fund is healthy, fully funded and making my pension payments like clockwork. IMO, unions are the only thing the working man has going for him.

reply to post by groingrinder

....CITIZEN STATESMEN who are not PROFESSIONAL POLITICIANS...

I have always considered lawyers running for office as a conflict of interest - BIG TIME!

I would also like to see a small businessmen tribunal hear cases where Bureaucrats are accused of abusing their offices.

EXAMPLE:

Family Facing $4 Million in Fines for Selling Bunnies
...During the course of the spot inspection, John said, the inspector asked his wife if she and John would like to have their operation certified by USDA. Judy said she wasn’t sure and asked what certification would entail and if it would help them sell more rabbits. The inspector responded, telling her it would involve monthly inspections and was completely voluntary. The inspection ended with the inspector telling Judy that the Dollarhites rabbits looked healthy and well-cared for.

....John decided to call Colorado Springs. Immediately, he was given the number to a USDA office in the nation’s capitol. He called the new number, and the lady he reached there was blunt, John said.

“She said, ‘Well, Mr. Dollarhite, I’ve got the report on my desk, and I’m just gonna tell you that, once I review it, it’s our intent to prosecute you to the maximum that we can’ and that ‘we will make an example out of you....”
biggovernment.com...

[Follow-up Article on USDA Agent]
Today, Conant is an animal rights activist lawyer-turned government bureaucrat who, as a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service employee with a very long title — Chief, Animal Health and Welfare Enforcement Branch, Investigative and Enforcement Services — is threatening John and Judy Dollarhite with fines of up to $3.9 million in fines for the “crime” of selling more than $500 worth of bunnies during a single calendar year without a USDA license.... biggovernment.com...

reply to post by Amaterasu


After 3 days of searching I found the OP I was talking about. You were all right - it was a kid who was confused about the tax system in America saying that he thought there was a form you could fill in to say what your tax dollars go towards.

Apologies for any inconvenience - just wanted to update.

It seems that the people in Government/public service are the problem. They rob their own citizens to pay for wars against people who I never had a problem with nor has anyone that I know.

The line they are treading seems to be getting very, very thin.

Originally posted by Imhotepsol
reply to post by Amaterasu

 

After 3 days of searching I found the OP I was talking about. You were all right - it was a kid who was confused about the tax system in America saying that he thought there was a form you could fill in to say what your tax dollars go towards.

Apologies for any inconvenience - just wanted to update.

No inconvenience. [smile]

I think it would be awesome if We COULD direct Our taxes. The money flow would be VERY different!

Thanks for the update.

www.research.va.gov...


Veterans Affairs is using it's money to inject Veterans with TOXINS to find out if any poisons have a medical use.

They figured Botox was a toxin that was found to have a use to make money off of...what other toxins can be sold as "medicine".


They're afraid China or the Marx Planck Society will outrun America in finding the next new things to get rich off of.

reply to post by Amaterasu


Well is there no way to start a movement that could enable such a decision making process in the 'greatest democracy in the world'. I mean if America is going to lead by example and all

Originally posted by Imhotepsol
reply to post by Amaterasu

 

Well is there no way to start a movement that could enable such a decision making process in the 'greatest democracy in the world'. I mean if America is going to lead by example and all

Actually... I am all for releasing the methods of extracting energy from the plenum. As money is merely an accounting of meaningful energy expended, adding what it represents (energy) would dissipate the need for money. AND allow Us to live at whatever level We choose - even as today's elite do.

But that is a planetary solution, not one merely for one segment of Humanity.

reply to post by Amaterasu


These guys would probably be your best bet. Sorry about the delay in my reply, bank holiday weekend got in the way.

reply to post by Imhotepsol


Cold fusion is a good thing, but far more complex than electrogravitics. Electrogravitics went into black ops in late 1959, early 1960 - I know because My father worked in EG before it went into BO (and after, I suspect - He was a major EG player at the aerospace contractor He worked for) and used to try and teach Me about EG. Though I did not get all the technical stuff - I was a toddler, after all - I did get the picture He painted of what the future would look like: cars, houses and even cities would float and fly, and there would be plenty of energy for whatever We wanted.

So... I know of far better technology that has had hidden R&D done for 50+ years. And it is MUCH less complicated than cold fusion.

reply to post by jam321


You're entitled to your opinion but I think you are wrong about social security not being a guarantee or our right. We pay for that, look at your paycheck out of the three taxes (I'm in nh, so if you have more my mistake) social security is one of them. Now we pay into that for our retirement, that is a right we have. If we aren't guaranteed that when we retire then we should have the chocie to not pay it.

reply to post by Amaterasu


I don't doubt that this stuff has been black ops for a long time. Personally I believe a lot of this technology was recovered from Ancient sites and passed off as modern day advances. The reason I favor the Italian guy is that he has the unit and it's been tested - it's also out-there to much to be retracted at this stage considering he wants to start selling commercial units this year.

It may not be as efficient or safe as fusion but if it comes out then it will open the gateway for these other more advanced technologies to come along in its wake. At least I hope so anyway.

reply to post by Imhotepsol


Well, I have to see any additional sources of energy as a good thing. I would love foremost, however, to see boxes We can plug Our appliances to that extract the plenum energy. THAT is MY dream. [smile]

But energy is good as long as it is not hurtful in its extraction or use.

Originally posted by ThirdI
reply to post by jam321

 

You're entitled to your opinion but I think you are wrong about social security not being a guarantee or our right. We pay for that, look at your paycheck out of the three taxes (I'm in nh, so if you have more my mistake) social security is one of them. Now we pay into that for our retirement, that is a right we have. If we aren't guaranteed that when we retire then we should have the chocie to not pay it.

Quoted for truth. If the government is taking the money We earn to save for Our retirement, then surely We have the right to opt out if They can't guarantee They will deliver as promised.

Otherwise, it's extortion. And a People extorted by Their government are NOT in control.

reply to post by Imhotepsol

I came across this article today dealing with how defense funds are appropriated - its an excellent insight into where your money is going America. If you want to do something to help your county dealing with this might be a start.

The real question should be: "Why do we feel we should spend money on Medicare/Medicaid?"

You realize that the estimated waste in medicare/medicaid due to fraudulent claims, alone, is around 200 billion dollars, correct? And that medicare spending has increased by MASSIVE amounts over the past several years?

www.washingtonpost.com...

Yet another critical question is often overlooked: whether taxpayers and patients get their money's worth from the $300 billion Medicare spends each year -- now about 15 percent of federal spending and projected to grow to nearly a quarter of the budget in a decade.

That is an article from 2005 - six years ago. Six years - and now medicare and medicaid spending trump the defense budget at around 1.2 Trillion dollars, combined.

www.washingtonpost.com...

Since its inception, Medicare spending has grown more than 14 times the rate of inflation to about $300 billion. It spends more than $800 million a day. In a decade, analysts estimate, spending will top half a trillion dollars and account for nearly a fourth of the federal budget.

John E. Wennberg of Dartmouth Medical School recently wrote that Medicare is speeding toward "a trillion-dollar train wreck." An advisory panel of trustees overseeing Medicare's long-term finances wrote in a report last year that the combination of rising costs and a sharp upturn in the number of beneficiaries -- from 42 million today to 71 million two decades from now -- threatens to bankrupt the hospital program.

Why do we not have money for medicare? Why, oh why!?

It MUST be because of defense spending!

Except... Defense spending has not risen all that much by a function of inflation-adjusted GDP with regards to the historical average. It has risen over the past decade following the decapitation of defense spending in the 90s after the collapse of the USSR.

reply to post by Aim64C


why do we feel the need for medicaid, medicare???

well, let's see, tell ya what, you do some research into how much money is going into the healthcare, the research, the drug developement, the training of doctors, nurses, money going to the hospitals, new equipment, and all that....
much of the advances into healthcare in this country was funded by US taxdollars....
seems reasonable to me, that if the taxpayer is the one helping to build the system, well, the taxpayers should be able to use the system, not just the "elites" but everyone!! if that ain't possible, at least the seniors who have been paying taxes their entire working lives and well, are no longer able to work!!!
but well, even now, what's going on is a CRIME!!!
I often tell my story, broken ankle, doctor demanding $2,000 dollars before he'd operate...ect...

well, got a coworker now, he broke his wrist, wasn't insured through the company so welll, he had no insurance. he did qualify for some help from a charity program here....but well...
by the time that they got the charity worked out, well, it was too late so set the arm properly, ect....
his arm is now very crooked, he ain't sure he's gonna be able to do the job he was doing before he broke it, and well...congratualtions, america!! you just may have created another disabled person through your wacky healthcare system!!!! aren't you proud!!

there is no reason on this god given earth why a 20 minute chat with a doctor should cost over $200 but that's how much my hubby was charged!! the only reason why it was so high is because the healthcare system is one great big set of ponzi schemes!! no, they know that you can't pay for it, but well, they can others into pitching in through health insurance, through gov't programs, and through "charity" well, it will be paid or at least they will get much more than they would if you really had to pay the amount yourself!!

reply to post by dawnstar

why do we feel the need for medicaid, medicare???

I don't care if you feel the need or not. I feel the need for a lot of things I can - and do - go without. I'm a very restless and ambitious intellectual with an interest in high-energy physics. The types of stuff I want to build include building a particle accelerator around the equator of the moon and other such things. I really, really, feel the need for stuff like that.

And... really - we have all of these people mining iron ore and factories producing steel and steel parts... why can't we just all say: "hey, a particle accelerator would look really cool there!" and build the damned thing? It's kind of irritating, actually, how so few people recognize how much we would begin to learn and understand if we would just do things my way.

... I really hope you're catching my point. While I do think very highly of my own opinion - I'm perceptive enough to see the dangers of such self-absorbed ambition.

well, let's see, tell ya what, you do some research into how much money is going into the healthcare, the research, the drug developement, the training of doctors, nurses, money going to the hospitals, new equipment, and all that....

Healthcare costs are rising independent of GDP and inflationary adjustments. This trend started with the founding of Medicare in the U.S. and has only gotten worse as spending in that area has increased. Medicare and Medicaid combined spending for the fiscal year 2020 is expected to be about 2.2 Trillion dollars in 2011 inflation-adjusted values.

In 2005, Medicare spending was at 300 billion dollars and is now broaching 1 Trillion.

This is unprecedented growth. And for what?

much of the advances into healthcare in this country was funded by US taxdollars....

I'm sure there are plenty of examples you could give.

seems reasonable to me, that if the taxpayer is the one helping to build the system, well, the taxpayers should be able to use the system, not just the "elites" but everyone!! if that ain't possible, at least the seniors who have been paying taxes their entire working lives and well, are no longer able to work!!!

I don't agree. First - the government should not be involved in the healthcare industry. Thereby undermining the very principle of your argument.

Second - you should only be able to contract services you can afford. Period. The exception would be if you belong to a member organization (such as an insurance company, union, etc) that has agreed to cover your respective costs under contract terms (whatever those may be - maybe it's 'free' - maybe it's not). Another would be where acts of charity are concerned.

As for seniors - that's what a retirement plan is for. I grow tired of seniors being used as pawns in social agendas. I want my children to have the best life possible. I will -never- play the "I did all of this stuff for you - so you need to take care of me in my old age" card. That is entirely selfish and I will not stand for it. Everything I am and will be is part of my legacy to be passed down. And I grow sick of people wanting to pass care of their parents/grandparents off on government agencies. I plan on constructing a very elaborate and enduring estate for my family and filling it with both family and guests in need.

Connections to people are important in this world. That is one thing I have learned. Good deeds and friendships are force-multipliers of one's finances. I can catch a taxi to the other side of the city for $30 - or catch a ride with a friend for the price of a meal at a restaurant or $10 for gas. The socialized concepts being campaigned in America are completely backwards and corrupt. You want people to take care of you when things go south? Start taking care of other people, and start putting yourself in a position to help others.

but well, even now, what's going on is a CRIME!!!
I often tell my story, broken ankle, doctor demanding $2,000 dollars before he'd operate...ect...

No individual should ever have less than $5,000 in a savings account. That is barely 5 months of living expenses at the poverty level. If you have time to be posting on this forum, and are about to give the "my circumstances don't allow that" excuse - then you really only have your own priorities to blame.

Doctors' services are not, nor have they ever been 'cheap.' Surgeons, in particular, have years of schooling and even more years of supervised practice before they can ever really begin to start a career. You also have a large amount of insurance that goes into a doctor's expenses. Malpractice insurance is particularly costly because the doctor is, quite literally, paying for a legal team to attempt to settle out of court or to defend the doctor in the event of a malpractice suit - which is, either way, going to cost into the hundreds of thousands - if not millions of dollars.

That said - costs have risen well outside the relative historical values. The government dominance in the healthcare market combined with the litigious environment of the healthcare market have played a key role in the rapid rise in healthcare costs.

well, got a coworker now, he broke his wrist, wasn't insured through the company so welll, he had no insurance. he did qualify for some help from a charity program here....but well...
by the time that they got the charity worked out, well, it was too late so set the arm properly, ect....
his arm is now very crooked, he ain't sure he's gonna be able to do the job he was doing before he broke it, and well...congratualtions, america!! you just may have created another disabled person through your wacky healthcare system!!!! aren't you proud!!

So... the man declined insurance... got injured... and you blame the healthcare system for it?

First - if it was an accident on the job, Workman's compensation should have been evoked. Second - you need to have some kind of insurance plan - either a well lined savings account, group policy, or something. I like the "health savings accounts" that are becoming more popular these days (a savings account with a high-deductible insurance plan - you can draw from the savings account at retirement for no penalty, or through life for any medical expenses such as prescription eye-wear and the like, while still being covered against catastrophic injury).

Third - I don't quite understand how it is that people seem to break themselves so often. I've done and survived some stupid decisions - but never once broken anything. Maybe it's my martial arts training as a kid that helps me instinctually preserve my body; or maybe I just have enough common sense to avoid compromising myself to the point of body-failure, but I just don't understand how it is people break themselves so often.

Fourth - if you've got a job that requires you to not have broken appendages, perhaps you should seriously consider avoiding physical injury on and off the job, as well as making sure you have a plan to enact if you do get injured.

Because - from what you're saying, his failure to plan is now being passed off as a liability on the healthcare system (and American tax-payer). Which simply doesn't make any sense. It's like blaming a grocery store for not letting people take things they haven't paid for. It's not the grocery store's fault these people don't have money - whether it be because they left their wallet at home or these people simply have none.

there is no reason on this god given earth why a 20 minute chat with a doctor should cost over $200 but that's how much my hubby was charged!!

And passing this expense onto Medicare is going to help... how?

the only reason why it was so high is because the healthcare system is one great big set of ponzi schemes!!

Again - why do we need Medicare to pay for these ponzi schemes?

I would think that medicare makes these ponzi schemes easier to conceal from the public. You do know that medicare wastes nearly $200 billion a year on fraudulent claims, correct?

no, they know that you can't pay for it, but well, they can others into pitching in through health insurance, through gov't programs, and through "charity" well, it will be paid or at least they will get much more than they would if you really had to pay the amount yourself!!

The poor use of punctuality and grammar in this sentence leaves me slightly confused. What, exactly, are you trying to point out in this statement?

I am having trouble interpreting it as anything other than: "if people had to actually pay for their healthcare out of their own pockets, doctors and hospitals would not be able to charge such outrageous prices." But I'm not entirely sure I'm tracking with you on this one - as this point would seem to contradict the entire premise of having Medicare in the first place.

www.hhs.gov...
www.cancer.gov...
www.findtbresources.org...


we have medicaid, don't we??
I mean I have known lots of people through out my life that have sat on their arses, half their lives, popping babies one after the other, and well, my tax dollars have helped pay for that....along with their housing, their food, their electricity, and on and on!!!
I have also paid into the medicare, social security system....
and well, I have raised three kids, and me and my husband have supported them ourselves for the most part!!!

when I broke my ankle, I was unemployed (the ankle break was a result of a problem that was being left untreated and was preventing me from being able to work) no, we made too much money for any help, but well, I was running on one meal every other day at the time so there would be enough food for the others, so don't give me the crap about having $5,000 stashed away.....but, hey we were rich enough to keep on doling out taxdollars to fund those baby popping mommas!!!

medicaid and medicare shouldn't even be classified with each other.....most of the people on medicare have worked their entire lives, or they were stay at home mom...who well, all those good republicans out there seem to feel that is the way that it should be!!! get the women out of the work force!!!

so, well, let's see, I paid taxes that helped build the healthcare system up, I paid taxes so the welfare mom can have her babies in a nice safe hospital setting, and well, society is gonna let me become a cripple, screw you, we don't want to help you when you need it???

well guess what, dear society!!! don't think I am gonna keep working till I am 90 years old, keep paying for babies to be born to stupid girls who think it's the easiest way out of growing up!! so that their daddies can walk away scott free of any responsiblity!! I ain't!! you want the medicare, and social security??? I'll exchange it for the bush tax cuts!!! ya see, after the episode with the ankle, I wouldn't ask this society for a pot to pee in!! And, well, my time on this computer is usually limited to about 30 minutes in the morning before I go to work, unless I am taking a day off, oh yes, I get vacation days!! and then I am busy preparing my home away from home, on federal parks land, which, I will be heading to on my 65th birthday...if not sooner!!....
and well, people can forget about me paying for the "poor" ...who have had a better lifestyle provided for them that my family has had!!) I'll be done!!

Originally posted by Aim64C
reply to post by Imhotepsol

 

I came across this article today dealing with how defense funds are appropriated - its an excellent insight into where your money is going America. If you want to do something to help your county dealing with this might be a start.

The real question should be: "Why do we feel we should spend money on Medicare/Medicaid?"

You realize that the estimated waste in medicare/medicaid due to fraudulent claims, alone, is around 200 billion dollars, correct? And that medicare spending has increased by MASSIVE amounts over the past several years?

[sigh] The reason the medicare spending has increased is because so many (like Me) cannot find jobs, have gone through Their savings, have fallen to the bottom and... NEED HELP.

You misinterpret the article. It speaks of HOSPITAL fraud. I agree that the system is set up to allow for that - fraud on the part of medical establishments. We might never be able to control for that. But to think that because fraud takes place We are better off eliminating the help People NEED is foolish.

That "waste" number comes from whom? What do They consider "fraud?" How was the number arrived at? Knowing what I know, I would say 98% plus on medicare NEED HELP. You would cut funding for 98% because the hospitals and doctors commit fraud? Let the 98% die because They could not afford to be screened early, could not afford to discuss things with doctors, etc. We MUST get rid of the fraud at Their expense?

And meanwhile We are spending ten times that (a guess, inclusive of black budget) to kill People in other countries, to invade and occupy other countries, and other assorted evil. Yeah, Let's keep those few frauds out of medicare so We can continue pushing Our collective weight around on this planet like the bully We seem to be.

Good thinking.

Give Me medicare fraud over stomping People We don't like like a bully in a snit fit.

Why do we not have money for medicare? Why, oh why!?

It MUST be because of defense spending!

Except... Defense spending has not risen all that much by a function of inflation-adjusted GDP with regards to the historical average. It has risen over the past decade following the decapitation of defense spending in the 90s after the collapse of the USSR.

1. Defense spending is relatively unrelated to the economy. Medicare is intimately tied to it. Our economy is tanking (especially over the last decade) and the numbers on the roll are swelling.

2. IF We had little defense spending, We would have plenty to help Our citizens.

3. IF We didn't invade and occupy and attack and otherwise make global asses of Ourselves, We would not be beset upon. No One bombs the Swiss...

Seriously, I cannot see the Human compassion in arguing that it's OK to spend money killing Humans instead of saving Them. Like war, aggression, and bullying are worth more than Human life. How sad if You think that is true.

reply to post by Amaterasu

[sigh] The reason the medicare spending has increased is because so many (like Me) cannot find jobs, have gone through Their savings, have fallen to the bottom and... NEED HELP.

So you have the right to vote yourself a standard of living at the expense of others?

You -need- it, right? It's not your fault, right? You are simply protecting yourself... right?

Extortion is still extortion - "taxation without representation is tyranny" - ring any bells? How are financially secure individuals being represented, here? They are expected to pay - to the government - so that other people can spend it on paying compensation to those who are jobless or underemployed for their financial burden.

You can have all the popular support for it you want - it's still extortion as you are using the threat of the masses to take the property of others.

You misinterpret the article. It speaks of HOSPITAL fraud. I agree that the system is set up to allow for that - fraud on the part of medical establishments. We might never be able to control for that. But to think that because fraud takes place We are better off eliminating the help People NEED is foolish.

I'm going to present you with some facts that you are not going to be able to face. The current system is unsustainable. The Baby Boomer generation is retiring. It will not be long in this country before there are only 5 working AGE individuals to every one retiree (and with unemployment as ridiculous as it is and no end in sight - that figure is only made worse). Social Security goes into the red in about three years - that means they start paying out more than they take in. While there is a "trust fund" for social security - it is merely numbers on paper - no hard assets exist - so any money paid out by social security that is not taken in within the same fiscal year has the exact same impact as deficit spending.

By 2025, there will be no U.S. at the current rate of federal spending. The dollar will be in hyper-inflation by that time. I am only 23, and in my lifetime, I have seen prices on most commodities quadruple. I remember soda from a vending machine running 25 cents, gasoline at 89 cents (and my mother cursing creation over it), and $50/week could feed our family three decent meals per night.

That "waste" number comes from whom? What do They consider "fraud?" How was the number arrived at?

"Waste, Fraud, and Abuse" are often tied together - which generally mean any expenses that do not go toward the health and care of a Medicare member. This does not account for unnecessary treatments and procedures (such as reviving 95 year old women undergoing a heart-attack or allowing for surgery when relevant statistics show little difference between success rates of surgery and other forms of treatment).

www.prgx.com...

The American Hospital Association (AHA) RAC Survey reported that through the first quarter of 2011, the RAC program has identified 26% of the selected claims as erroneous. The AHA reported that complex medical record reviews yielded an average overpayment amount of $5,469. In total, the AHA says that RAC programs have identified overpayments by Medicare adding up to $167 million.

I've seen larger and smaller estimates.

www.examiner.com...

According to Steven Malanga of the Manhattan Institute, experts estimate that "abuses of Medicaid (alone) eat up at least 10 percent of the program’s total cost nationwide -- a waste of $30 billion a year. Unscrupulous doctors billing for over 24 hours per day of procedures, phony companies invoicing for phantom services, pharmacists filling prescriptions for dead patients, home health-care companies demanding payment for treating clients actually in the hospital -- on and on the rip-offs go."

blog.heritage.org...

The examples of abuse are mind-boggling. Last year, $135,000 was given to one discount pharmacy in Hialeah, Florida, for drug prescriptions written by four doctors. Two of them were dead, one was in prison, and the other said he never wrote the prescriptions filed under his name.

Medicare has a “pay and chase” system, which pays bills first and then checks whether or not they were appropriate later. Craig Smith, former general counsel of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration, told the House subcommittee that “the best techniques are those that prevent improper payments in the first place. With a greater emphasis on pre-payment fraud and abuse prevention, we can decrease significantly the loss of taxpayer dollars and make healthcare fraud a much less desirable career path.” Smith outlines five tactics to reduce Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse that can be read in further detail here.

CBS has an article on outright fraud here: www.cbsnews.com...

Here's a good one: www.cato.org...

In one infamous case, a New York dentist once billed that state's Medicaid program for 991 procedures in a single day. In 2005, the New York Times reported that New York's Medicaid program "has become so huge, so complex and so lightly policed that it is easily exploited," and that "a chief state investigator of Medicaid fraud and abuse in New York City said he and his colleagues believed that at least 10 percent of state Medicaid dollars were spent on fraudulent claims, while 20 or 30 percent more were siphoned off by what they termed abuse, meaning unnecessary spending that might not be criminal."13 Some experts estimate that improper payments are even more prevalent in these programs. Harvard University's Malcolm Sparrow estimates that improper payments account for 20 percent of spending in federal health care programs.14 That suggests Medicare alone makes $100 billion in improper payments annually. The Government Accountability Office has for two decades designated both Medicare and Medicaid as posing a high risk for fraud.15 Decades of congressional efforts to combat Medicare and Medicaid fraud have proven largely fruitless and even harmful to patients, as my colleague Prof. David Hyman explains in his satirical book Medicare Meets Mephistopheles, an excerpt from which I have attached as an appendix.16

Knowing what I know, I would say 98% plus on medicare NEED HELP.

That doesn't change the fact that the system is currently unsustainable. Even if we were to remove everything BUT entitlement spending - we would still be spending into a deficit. That means cutting the military, funding for highways, etc.

You would cut funding for 98% because the hospitals and doctors commit fraud?

I would cut funding because it is unsustainable. Period. The country cannot continue to support such a system. Either you prioritize your spending and stay together as a nation, or you spend your country into ruin and watch it collapse around you.

I'm not really all that opinionated on the matter - if we collapse, I get to shoot at people and make things explode. I'll deal with it. If we make changes and survive as a nation - I get to have a family and provide them with a decent living without becoming a warlord in the process.

I'm going to accomplish what I came here to do, either way. Your all's stupidity isn't going to do much more than determine my means.

Let the 98% die because They could not afford to be screened early, could not afford to discuss things with doctors, etc.

Medicare is aimed, primarily, at the populations in their retirement ages. By that time, preventative screening isn't just unnecessary - it's often a health hazard in and of itself.

Further, an unsustainable system is simply that - an unsustainable system. You must bring the costs under control or lose it entirely. That is the reality of the situation and you're going to experience the consequences of these irresponsible expenses in one way or another.

And meanwhile We are spending ten times that (a guess, inclusive of black budget) to kill People in other countries, to invade and occupy other countries, and other assorted evil. Yeah, Let's keep those few frauds out of medicare so We can continue pushing Our collective weight around on this planet like the bully We seem to be.

You've no clue, do you?

DoD spending for the 2012 fiscal year is slated for about 557 Billion dollars. By time you add in other defense related spending (including veterans benefits and retiree pay that should be included with other government-employee expenses like everything else) the total comes up to 882 billion dollars. This includes spending on classified programs.

Total spending on Medicare/Medicaid is some 618 billion dollars (that's Medicare and Medicaid combined). However, there is an additional 530 billion dollars allotted for programs giving aid to 'state-funded' medicare systems (and a few other 'income security' payments).

That brings the total up to about 1.15 Trillion spent on Medicare, Medicaid, and related programs. Though this does not include Social Security or some of the other entitlement programs.

Really, you can spin the numbers any direction you want. The fact of the matter is that 2.2 Trillion of our federal budget is dedicated to subsidizing incomes and 'quality of life' expenses for individuals and families in this country (call them by their respective individual titles and costs if you want - their net effect is the same). The entire budget is only some 4 Trillion with a 1.4 Trillion in deficit spending.

Seriously, I cannot see the Human compassion in arguing that it's OK to spend money killing Humans instead of saving Them. Like war, aggression, and bullying are worth more than Human life. How sad if You think that is true.

Budgets aren't about compassion. They are about numbers.

Further - you have this illogical view that government spending is going to help people. Healthcare costs have swelled outside of historical growth trends since the implementation of Medicare and other government-funded expeditions into Healthcare.

You also make the illogical conclusion that cutting government spending is going to harm people.

I am merely telling you exactly what the problem in this country is. It has nothing to do with defense spending and everything to do with an overall spending problem. Politicians have spent far too long just buying those they do not agree with. Earmarks and funding appendages to 400 pages of legal double-talk are the way to get hesitant people on-board with a bill (fund some cowboy music festival in their district or something - just get them to shut up and sign the damned thing). The fastest growing segment of the budget is entitlement spending - which currently accounts for well over half of all government spending.

Military spending has risen - but is not projected to do anything but decline over the next decade. Federal health care spending, however, is expected to double by the year 2020 and account for 8.8% of GDP.

That. Is. Un. Sus. Tain. A. Ble.

Period.