Strategy to Avoid Medicaid Spend-down? Huh?

[Guest]

Obviously we won't get rid of public schools so I would be inclined to offer a vocher system where a student could go anywhere he/she wants. Schools would then compete with each other.

As far as the hypocracy of selling medicare plans, yes I agree but as a good capitalist I will take advantage of a bad system the same way that someone (maybe Al) who is in favor of single payer will sell health insurance.

Rick

I agree with Rick. I've long favored a voucher system for schools. I thought we had a shot at it with Bush, but he chickened out with his No Child Left Behind program. Fortunately there are many, many affordable "better" alternatives to public schools.

No so with health care. Of course I don't really expect "true conservatives" to NOT take Medicare... because there is really no alternative. Very few people who are no longer working could afford healthcare with Medicare. (Just as it was in 1963 when it was passed.) And besides, I can make a case the YOU paid into it and you SHOULD get a return on your money.

I too am a capitalist... but I don't think it is efficient to have competing power plants or to have competing fire stations (which used to be the case in NYC) or competing police forces. When the private sector fails, the public sector has to step in. Left to their own devices the private health insurance companies simply do not serve the greatest good for the greatest number. That would be fine if they were making cereal or autos... but this is life and death we're talking about.

I know most of you could care less about the 40 million people who live in fear of getting sick and losing all their hard earned savings, and you ascribe it to their own lack of responsibility. I look at it differently. I'm willing to pay higher taxes for a better "overall" society. If it means the some fat, smoking, welfare mother gets her appendix taken out at my expense, saving her life, I'm OK with it... especially if it means that the hard working waitress at the Denny's I go to each Thursday morning at 6:30 am for my Toastmasters meeting won't lose her meager retirement savings if she gets cancer.

If the private sector could make that happen, I'd be fine with it. But just as in 1963 when older citizens were losing their homes and pensions to medical costs, the private sector today has not been able to overcome its own greed factor. We instituted Medicare back then and I don't see any mass movement to abolish it. I believe that if we go to single payor for IFP, that while there will be grumbles, in the end we will have a better society as a result.

My advice to you is this. Learn how to prospect, market for, and sell LTCI. It will be another generation before the government tries to fix what is sure to be another social dilemma... how to (ware)house and care for a society that lives way past 100.

Al
Preserve your memories

 

[stormtracker]

My advice to you is this. Learn how to prospect, market for, and sell LTCI. It will be another generation before the government tries to fix what is sure to be another social dilemma... how to (ware)house and care for a society that lives way past 100.

Al
Preserve your memories[/quote]

This WILL be the next social delimma-- and LTC will face the same issues as current day healthcare reform. What happens now, will be the model (for, or against) what will be done for the future post-productive seniors... To think that "underage" healthcare is the ONLY issue is very short sighted... This is what is looming.