What If National Healthcare Unfolds in the Same Way As Medicare Did?
Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 11:11 AM - Economy - USA
It's difficult to find the original Congressional estimates for Medicare as a percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) before it was passed in the 1960's, it may have never made publication to the internet or it may have actually been removed. But the real cost in 1966 was $3 billion, with a conservative estimate that by 1990 that cost would be $12 billion. As it turned out, in 1990 the actual cost was $107 billion -- or just under 9 times what the estimates said it would be. In 2009, Medicare expenditures alone were $391 billion, with combined Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health expenses totaling about 20% of the GDP. The point of this is, that over a 25 year period Congressional estimates were off by 9 times the original projections.
Around 2003, when then President Bush put through the new Medicare drug addition, it was projected to cost $534 billion over 10 years. Within two years, however, that estimate had changed to $1.2 trillion, or a little more than double the original estimates. One wonders how much will it be off after 25 years have passed.
Now we have all sorts of estimates flying around about the cost of a national health care plan, adding it to an already ludicrously expensive Medicare plan.
See What If National Healthcare Unfolds in the Same Way As Medicare Did? from Political International And Religious Issues for the full article.
add comment That Flushing Sound
Friday, September 11, 2009, 11:13 AM - Economy - USA
I'm going to have to stop reading the news and throw my TV out the window...or learn some deep breathing relaxation techniques.
Not only do I get to sit back and watch our government continue to seek out ever more inefficient ways to waste money in the name of stimulating the economy...I also get to watch the programs and services we're already paying for waste as much as humanly possible.
Let's start with the Cash for Clunkers program that has managed to unnecessarily burn through billions of dollars to accomplish little more than subsidizing auto purchases for people who would probably have been buying new cars in the next six months anyway. A complete waste. And now they are paying the dealers involved via IOU's instead of cash.
The dealers have to pay the rebate out of pocket and then wait for reimbursement from the government. Only problem is that the car dealers are getting IOU's in lieu of the cash.
No Way....!!! You mean the government isn't paying money it owes to people working through its very own government sponsored program?!? What do you suppose would happen if I sent in an IOU in lieu of my taxes this year? - See Political, International And Religious Issues - Economy for the full article.
Health Care Reform, the Medical Community, and You
Monday, August 31, 2009, 10:40 AM - Economy - USA
There is a tremendous effort by the President and the Democratic Party to swiftly replace our current system of health care insurance with a government sponsored insurance program designed to bring health insurance coverage to all Americans. Of course, this sounds like a wonderful idea, however, after understanding the details outlined in the proposed legislation, many may want to reconsider their position.
There are a few facts you just can't get around. When more than 47 million uninsured Americans are added to a system that currently accommodates 260 million Americans, something is going to have to give. Assuming the same patient load, approximately 10,000 more physicians will need to be available or care for 47 million other Americans will need to be delayed or eliminated. This is not unusual in places like England, France and Canada where National Healthcare has been in place for quite some time. Additionally, facilities, resources and support staff will be effected proportionally. The promoters of this legislation can promise all day long that this won't happen, but unless they have the same capabilities that Christ had when he fed 500 followers with two loaves of bread and seven fish around 2000 years ago, the numbers say it just can't work without serious health care rationing.
The next issue that stands out is the promise of reforming health care thereby significantly reducing costs. If we look at Medicare and Medicaid as examples and understand the tremendous deficit that is growing due to poor management and excessive fraud - See Political, International And Religious Issues - Health Care Reform for the full article.
It Doesn't Take a Rocket Scientist to Figure Out the Problem Here
Sunday, August 30, 2009, 07:37 PM - Economy - USA
Since the White House now it projecting a much larger deficit then previously expected they are acting surprised and amazed. It appears that the only people who had no clue that we had an exploding deficit were those who were generating this debt to begin with. White House officials have finally admitted that the upcoming fiscal statistics are much bleaker than those initially estimated by the Obama administration.
Current estimates border upon a $9 trillion dollar deficit quickly approaching for the years 2010 to 2019. In addition unemployment it expected to reach as high as 10 percent this year alone. What this essentially amounts to is that you can pull the wool over some people's eyes but not all the people. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that when you are spending funds quicker then you are bringing them in you are certain to end up with a minus sign. Our present administration even in view of these shocking figures has still not attempted to reduce the government handouts in the least.
In my honest opinion these result are just another example of failed socialist policies. They did not work effectively in other countries nor will they prove beneficial in America either. - See Political, International And Religious Issues for the full article.
Green Jobs Are Coming Says Obama Administration - The Middle of Next Year!
Sunday, August 30, 2009, 07:27 PM - Economy - USA
We were told that the Obama stimulus plan was going to help us with jobs, and we've done nothing but shed jobs since he got into office. Now he promises us a special heath care (ObamaCare) insurance plan for all Americans, but how can we trust him after he's already failed at every initiative he's ever put forth.
Not only has the stimulus money been slow to do any good, it seems the only real shovel ready project that needs attending too, is moving the manure out of the way that the Obama Administration keeps putting out. Oh, and get some rubber boots for those shovel ready workers in their new job.
Now, the Obama Administration and the DOE has said that green jobs will be forth coming and look for a big uptick by the middle of 2010. Oh please, that is ridiculous, by the middle of next year, the economy will be cooking again, and we won't need them anyway. This is not stimulus, this is PR, and green jobs are coming with or without any government help. - See Political, International And Religious Issues for the full article.
Punished For Doing the Right Thing
Monday, March 16, 2009, 03:27 PM - Economy - USA
People are beginning to catch on about the stimulus bill and all the bailouts that our government is so freely handing out. Those of us that live within our means are having to pay for the irresponsible behavior of those that chose to live on the credit bubble. Well the bubble has burst and guess who's getting rewarded? Not those of us who make a practice of doing the right thing. The right thing in this case is only buying what we can afford and living up to our obligations. The mortgage bailouts are nothing more than an entitlement program, redistributing our money to the irresponsible.
I for one resent the fact that I am being punished for doing the right thing and living up to my obligations. My parents raised me to be responsible and to plan for the future. While I do genuinely feel for the people that are suffering through foreclosure or the threat of foreclosure, I don't believe that we should be forced to pay for their poor planning. - See Punished For Doing the Right Thing for the complete article.
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