HHS nominee Price opposes Obamacare, backs Medicare vouchers

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/b8ed7991d1be4d8a85aa7f8758a9ccf0/hhs-nominee-price-opposes-obamacare-backs-medicare-vouchers


Sorry but this kind of stuff has always ended badly for the GOP. Too many people depend on Medicare to get rid of it.

[HonestJohn]

Yay!

Here's your 2017 Medicare voucher, it covers the cost of insurance this year.

2018 rolls around.

We're increasing the voucher to meet the general cost of inflation... not the cost of inflation for the medical sector.  What?  It doesn't cover the full cost of the plan you had in 2017?  Use your own money to meet the difference.

2019 rolls around.

We're increasing the voucher to meet the general cost of inflation... not the cost of inflation for the medical sector.  What?  It doesn't cover the full cost of the plan you had in 2017 or 2018?  Use your own money to meet the difference.  It's your problem if the premiums have gone up 35%.

2037 rolls around.

Medicare voucher?  This doesn't even cover the cost of a dental cleaning!

---

The only way this works out well for the American citizen is if the voucher is cost-indexed to the individual's local rate of insurance that is *equal to* that of current Medicare.

But that will result it a larger cost, as Medicare is *the* lowest cost insurance plan in America, period.

[Maj. Bill Martin]

Yay!

Here's your 2017 Medicare voucher, it covers the cost of insurance this year.

2018 rolls around.

We're increasing the voucher to meet the general cost of inflation... not the cost of inflation for the medical sector.  What?  It doesn't cover the full cost of the plan you had in 2017?  Use your own money to meet the difference.

2019 rolls around.

We're increasing the voucher to meet the general cost of inflation... not the cost of inflation for the medical sector.  What?  It doesn't cover the full cost of the plan you had in 2017 or 2018?  Use your own money to meet the difference.  It's your problem if the premiums have gone up 35%.

2037 rolls around.

Medicare voucher?  This doesn't even cover the cost of a dental cleaning!

---

The only way this works out well for the American citizen is if the voucher is cost-indexed to the individual's local rate of insurance that is *equal to* that of current Medicare.

But that will result it a larger cost, as Medicare is *the* lowest cost insurance plan in America, period.

Unlimited third party payments is what enables the cost of health care to increase.  When the spigot dries up, providers will have to start considering efficiency more than just results.  And, unlike under ObamaCare, they won't have to offer a certain level of bells and whistles.  There will be more HSA's, a greater emphasis on catastrophic coverage rather than first dollar, etc.

That's a good thing.

[DB]

Unlimited third party payments is what enables the cost of health care to increase.  When the spigot dries up, providers will have to start considering efficiency more than just results.  And, unlike under ObamaCare, they won't have to offer a certain level of bells and whistles.  There will be more HSA's, a greater emphasis on catastrophic coverage rather than first dollar, etc.

That's a good thing.

Actually the providers will simply dry up. They already are. Endless regulation and lawyers makes health care expensive. Until that burden is lifted, health care won't get cheaper.

[HonestJohn]

Unlimited third party payments is what enables the cost of health care to increase.  When the spigot dries up, providers will have to start considering efficiency more than just results.  And, unlike under ObamaCare, they won't have to offer a certain level of bells and whistles.  There will be more HSA's, a greater emphasis on catastrophic coverage rather than first dollar, etc.

That's a good thing.

Not to the people using it.