Medicare is effiecent? Please

If I have to read or hear anymore idiotic arguments that Medicare is an example of a successful government run healthcare program that has demonstrated its efficiency at keeping costs low I think I'll puke. If I wanted to keep my electric bill low, I could do it just like Medicare does with health care -- pay 10% of the bill. Of course, the power company would soon shut of my power. And that is what happens with Medicare as an increasing number of providers refuse to accept Medicare patients. The only alternative is to bill their non-Medicare patients for the difference or close their practice.

This wouldn't have to happen if Medicare paid the same as everyone else. While costs would go up for Medicare, they would go down for everyone else. But this is somewhat of a false savings. If Medicare pays more, it is doubtful the government will charge higher premiums to Medicare recipients, so the rest of us will have to pay higher taxes to cover it. Oh well, we can use what we save on health care premiums.

But cover the entire population with a program run like Medicare? How many health care providers do you think would continue to accept patients whose health plan doesn't pay? What is the solution to that? Pass a law forcing them to accept the heavily reduced payments? And after that a law forcing a percentage of high school graduates to study and practice medicine? That wouldn't require a new program, just authorize the Selective Service to draft them.

The Politics of Healthcare

Obama came into office with a promise to reform healthcare. This meant different things to different people. Universal healthcare available to all at a price they could afford, An optional government run healthcare program, a single payer government healthcare program, whatever.

Now, Obama has defined what he wants and the Democrats are shocked! shocked! I say, that there are those that actually don't want it. Not understanding or accepting that a lot of people don't really want the government involved in their healthcare decisions, the Dems decided that anyone protesting the program must be GOP plants that aren't interested in the healthcare issue, just in seeing Obama fail.

Well, hell yes they want to see Obama fail! Specifically on the healthcare issue. Because they don't want the government involved in their healthcare in spite of what others may think is best for them..

In every issue of national policy, there is at least two sides. Each wants what it thinks is best for the country, each thinks the other is wrong, each thinks that it is right. And each accuses the other of being unpatriotic and of betraying the American ideal.

And both are correct and wrong on all counts at the same time. It is called politics and it is the way things work in a democratic republic (or a republican democracy, take your pick). The answer lies somewhere in the middle, in compromise between opposing views. Once upon a time, this middle ground was sought. Sometimes it still is, but usually only on issues of little importance. On important issues, idealism holds sway and the rhetoric becomes vitriolic. If one side has a majority and wins out, the other is highly resentful and less likely to compromise in the future, especially when they hold the majority.

The best outcome we can hope for on important issues is a deadlock that forces a compromise that neither side is really happy with. That usually means everybody wins.