An opportunity to fix medicare, and for all?

[azul]

Not that I exactly trust this congress or president to do what is in the peoples' best interest here again, but at least they are somewhat serious in discussing its future now. The fight should be continued with this crisis as the re-opening of the debate.

I do think that medicare can see massive savings and be financially sound on a much smaller budget if, if it expands as the single payer for all over time, and if the investment is made to prevent and cure disease in a concerted and well-funded effort.

Add some basic type of medicare coverage for all uninsured Americans, the ones still left behind, and each year lower the medicare coverage age 1 year until all are covered.

Invest in education and jobs to cure and prevent diseases. With the new science and tools of epigenetic controls of genes in response to diet and chemicals and of gene disturbances in disease there is ample opportunity to slash the costs of health-care. And by this investment we would have lots of good jobs and learn how to live in a better healthy balance with our economic industry.

[Cleita]

1. We also need to get the insurance industry and

PhRMA out of the Medicare program. This is what is causing the real drain in Medicare, the Medicare Advantage programs and the insurance company run Medicare Part D program.

[azul]

7. Exactly, but it cannot be done overnight,

even if there is some terrible scandal. They are too entrenched and well-funded. But with something like lowering the coverage age each year, the scandal of medicine for profit will become increasingly apparent and thus their power to corrupt the system would hopefully diminish and be gone.

[yurbud]

8. the insurance industry needs to meet an unsympathetic death panel

[midnight]

2. Every little bit counts....

[NV Whino]

3. Neither Medicare nor Social Security should be part of the debt ceiling discussion

A separate plan to adjust S/S for the future, fine.

National health care for all, fine.

Get them out of the debt ceiling games. And I use the word games deliberately.

[dkf]

4. The debt ceiling is the only time we talk about it.

Otherwise they have no guts to tackle what is an unpleasant discussion.

Thinking we can get it done without any pressure points is deluded.

[Scuba]

6. There is NOTHING unpleasant about a plan to save money by providing full coverage for every American

[Scuba]

5. Health care in America is a mess. Medicare for All is the simplest and cheapest....

...path to correcting this.


If it were up to me, I'd offer the shareholders of health insurance stocks some compensation and go to Medicare for All in a heartbeat.


It's ludicrous that this hasn't already been done.

[The Big Vetolski]

9. You are nicer than I. Screw the shareholders! nt

[Capn Sunshine]

10. problem is, that's pretty much anyone with a 401k or other pension plan

That money all goes into the market whether we like it or not, and a percentage goes into insurance stocks. It's all rather convenient. But that's what we've got.

[Scuba]

11. Right. Punishment is not what we're trying to achieve, much less punishing the innocent. n/t

[TheKentuckian]

14. Don't bet if you can't afford to lose, I reckon. Playing hostage to industry is just

plain suicidal.

We've got to be rid of these leeches or they will drain us dry.

Somebody is going to get beat up some, I say let them eat peas.

[PoliticAverse]

12. No, you keep your government hands off their Medicare! n/t

[obxhead]

13. This Congress would not even consider it and

this President wouldn't dare a whisper to fight for it.

Nothing truly progressive with health care will have any shot until 2016 when we can hopefully put true Dems in power.