Medicare Chief Actuary: No Healthcare Savings For You!

[Patranus]

Two of the central promises of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law are unlikely to be fulfilled, Medicare's independent economic expert told Congress on Wednesday.

The landmark legislation probably won't hold costs down, and it won't let everybody keep their current health insurance if they like it, Chief Actuary Richard Foster told the House Budget Committee. His office is responsible for independent long-range cost estimates.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...7nq54Q?docId=7a1abd4a6937454f90aa34acf72c9870


Who are you going to believe, the politician, or the expert on the subject.

 

[sunzt]

bleh, fail bill.

Just cut benefits for medicare, medicaid, and ss and be done with it. It'll get to that point eventually.

 

[Throckmorton]

As for people getting to keep their health insurance plan, Foster's office is projecting that more than 7 million Medicare recipients in private Medicare Advantage plans will eventually have to find other coverage, cutting enrollment in the plans by about half.

GOOD. Medicare Advantage is a waste of money. Why the hell should the federal government, acting as an insurer, pay a middleman to provide insurance? That's like you buying insurance from Geico, but they pay Progressive to insure you, so you have to pay for profits and overhead for a totally unnecessary middleman.

If Medicare isn't good enough for you, tough luck. Pay for your own god damned insurance and stop whining you lazy drug culture free love greedy baby boomers.

 

[nick1985]

Only fools thought this would reduce the deficit.

 

[xj0hnx]

GOOD. Medicare Advantage is a waste of money. Why the hell should the federal government, acting as an insurer, pay a middleman to provide insurance? That's like you buying insurance from Geico, but they pay Progressive to insure you, so you have to pay for profits and overhead for a totally unnecessary middleman.

If Medicare isn't good enough for you, tough luck. Pay for your own god damned insurance and stop whining you lazy drug culture free love greedy baby boomers.

I have Progressive auto insurance through a third party, and it's cheaper than if I went to Progressive directly.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Only fools thought this would reduce the deficit.

But but it will! It must! And we're going to have energy independence! And cheese, lots and lots of cheese.


What you are saying isn't what he is though so be prepared to get hit on that. This program isn't going to save any money on health care, but if you tax a trillion dollars and spend 750 of it on program and don't spend the rest, then that "reduces the deficit".

Of course that assumes a lie in that the remainder goes for that purpose which it won't. It will be spend elsewhere.

 

[Throckmorton]

I have Progressive auto insurance through a third party, and it's cheaper than if I went to Progressive directly.

But that third party isn't an insurer. Why would an insurer double the overhead and add a middleman's profits?

 

[matt0611]

Also a link on that page:

http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/26/medicare-actuary-more-confident-in-paul-ryans-%E2%80%98road-map%E2%80%99-cost-controls-than-obamas-health-law/

 

[xj0hnx]

But that third party isn't an insurer. Why would an insurer double the overhead and add a middleman's profits?

How does a private third party provide insurance cheaper than getting it directly, and how can that be applied to your rant?

 

[Throckmorton]

How does a private third party provide insurance cheaper than getting it directly, and how can that be applied to your rant?

The third party isn't an insurer... it's a broker. They can make deals with the insurance company that an individual can't.

But Medicare is insurance. It makes no sense for them to give a private company a cut for their profits and overhead, so that a person eligible for Medicare can have more expensive insurance.

It's like if the VA didn't insure servicemen directly and instead bought them private insurance. Do you think that would save money or waste money?

Government contracting out things it should do itself is inherently a waste.