SGR Repeal Could Have Damaging Side Effects

[somarco]

Medicare and SS will not be phased out.

I ask how old you are because your perspective on both of these programs seems to indicate you neither understand the programs nor how govt works. In other words, I believe you are young and inexperienced. Your defensive posture seems to confirm my suspicion.

Yes, the idiots in DC spend money like a drunken sailor but solving the budgetary issues is not something to be balanced on the backs of those who paid into it for years.

 

[axeman462]

Medicare and SS will not be phased out.

I ask how old you are because your perspective on both of these programs seems to indicate you neither understand the programs nor how govt works. In other words, I believe you are young and inexperienced. Your defensive posture seems to confirm my suspicion.

Yes, the idiots in DC spend money like a drunken sailor but solving the budgetary issues is not something to be balanced on the backs of those who paid into it for years.

most of those are some pretty ignorant assumptions you made.

Mediicare and SS probbly wont be phased out, until the debt burden in this country forces us to. which is still several years away.

but like i said in an earlier post. the only people on this forum that defend medicare as much as you do, are either on medicare (or will be soon) or use medicare as their lively-hood (selling medigap and mapd).

As for my age, yes I am younger than you, but that doesn't mean I dont know how govt works. I have been involved in public policy for my county for several years now. What you dont seem to understand is, the concept of finance. This all comes down to finance, regardless of whether or not people have paid into the system their whole lives. That dont matter if there is no money. Somebody, at some point is going to get screwed. And as i have stated before, it is mathematically impossible to balance the budget without addressing medicare, social security, and medicaid. They take up 49% of the budget.

It is impossible to balance without major cuts. Nobody (including me) wants to pull the rug out from under people that currently on the programs. thats why i suggest phasing it out. That is the only option that makes sense. The things that were addressed in this article are only tweaks, but at least the convo is starting.

But you can live in your pipe dream fantasy, where money just falls out of the sky, and magically pays for everything. You know, as long as you get your retirement and it doesnt effect your business. Leave the bill for your grandkids. screw them, you wont be around much longer to see them suffer under oppressive tax system that wil have to be made in order to pay for the debt you racked up because of your precious medicare system anyway.

 

[mikepspencer]

based on your "article" i'm going to guess either you sell medicare products, or you are on medicare. Most producers that sell medigaps, and mapd seem to be biased to leaving the system broken, and bankrupt, and the way it is because they only think of themselves and their business.

the system is broken. cuts have to be made. "shifting", as you put it, more of the costs on the medicare beneficiaries is necessary. phasing medicare out permanently over the next 10-20 years has to happen if we dont want the country to go completely bankrupt, like greece has.

I wouldn't worry too much about our country going bankrupt. Once the Babyboomers have all retired and are dying off, the senior population will begin to decline. Gen X doesn't have nearly the numbers they do and SS and Medicare spending will decrease naturally. We can surely find cost control measures that don't screw the people who need help the most.

 

[aheff]

most of those are some pretty ignorant assumptions you made.

Mediicare and SS probbly wont be phased out, until the debt burden in this country forces us to. which is still several years away.

but like i said in an earlier post. the only people on this forum that defend medicare as much as you do, are either on medicare (or will be soon) or use medicare as their lively-hood (selling medigap and mapd).

As for my age, yes I am younger than you, but that doesn't mean I dont know how govt works. I have been involved in public policy for my county for several years now. What you dont seem to understand is, the concept of finance. This all comes down to finance, regardless of whether or not people have paid into the system their whole lives. That dont matter if there is no money. Somebody, at some point is going to get screwed. And as i have stated before, it is mathematically impossible to balance the budget without addressing medicare, social security, and medicaid. They take up 49% of the budget.

It is impossible to balance without major cuts. Nobody (including me) wants to pull the rug out from under people that currently on the programs. thats why i suggest phasing it out. That is the only option that makes sense. The things that were addressed in this article are only tweaks, but at least the convo is starting.

But you can live in your pipe dream fantasy, where money just falls out of the sky, and magically pays for everything. You know, as long as you get your retirement and it doesnt effect your business. Leave the bill for your grandkids. screw them, you wont be around much longer to see them suffer under oppressive tax system that wil have to be made in order to pay for the debt you racked up because of your precious medicare system anyway.

Axeman- The sky is falling! The sky is falling! I will address two of your points. For someone in public policy, you don't sure understand how things work. You stress that this all comes down to FINANCE. You couldn't be more wrong. This all comes down to politics, pure and simple. If our politicians did their job and had any backbone, problem solved. Second, you seem to think drastic and dramatic changes are needed. Again, you are incorrect. All that is needed is tweaking around the edges. Let's take Social Security as an example. A combination of raising the retirement age, means testing, increase/eliminate tax cap, COLA change. These changes would fix SS.

 

[axeman462]

Axeman- The sky is falling! The sky is falling! I will address two of your points. For someone in public policy, you don't sure understand how things work. You stress that this all comes down to FINANCE. You couldn't be more wrong. This all comes down to politics, pure and simple. If our politicians did their job and had any backbone, problem solved. Second, you seem to think drastic and dramatic changes are needed. Again, you are incorrect. All that is needed is tweaking around the edges. Let's take Social Security as an example. A combination of raising the retirement age, means testing, increase/eliminate tax cap, COLA change. These changes would fix SS.

aheff - take your head out of the sand and think for yourself. you are wrong. Accounting is not based on politics. Accounting is based on Finance (or more appropriately, math).
secondly, "tweaking around the edges" is not going to fix a $600billion deficit, and $90 Trillion in unfunded liabilities.

Think about. you suggest taxing more. Which the Laffer curve would show you, will not work. And changing the COLA. I mean my god, how much less of a raise to want to give these people??? They only got a 1.5% raise this year!

 

[GreenSky]

Both Social Security and Medicare are basically Ponzie schemes. While I'd love to eliminate both (don't see where the Constitution allows either), I don't see how this can happen.

If we stop robbing Peter to pay Paul, how would we fund these programs?

And don't get me starting on the mythical trust fund.

Rick

 

[Bob L]

On top of it, the private insurers are drawing huge amounts of money out of the existing fund to produce programs that surely don't pay out anywhere near what they collect.
QUOTE]

CadyLou, would you mind elaborating on this sentence? What exactly are you referring to? I am interested...

 

[Sammm222]

Why is it that our govt wants to offer free college to people making a C avg but they cannot keep their commitment to the elderly ? As someone nearing medicare enrollment age, I think the US govt has its priorities messed up.

 

[cadylou]

On top of it, the private insurers are drawing huge amounts of money out of the existing fund to produce programs that surely don't pay out anywhere near what they collect.
QUOTE]

CadyLou, would you mind elaborating on this sentence? What exactly are you referring to? I am interested...

Medicare Advantage programs . . . .