Medicare Fight As Entitlement Melts Down

J.J. Jackson* | July 7, 2008

Filed Under Conservative Musings, Liberals, Unconstitutional Spending

Medicare is a burden on the American taxpayer, but it is an entitlement that politicians find useful for buying votes. It is going bankrupt but that doesn’t matter.

In order to try and stave off the inevitable (not having enough money to pay its debts) the program was scheduled to undergo and 10.6% cut in the amount of money it pays to physicians who see Medicare patients. This was part of the whole fraudulent “Balanced Budget Act” back in the late 1990’s that we were told gave us a balanced budget – except when you counted interest and other debts of course it really did no such thing. That was all another big god and pony show as well.

Now the American Medical Association is upset and running radio ads decrying how these cuts will, “protect the powerful insurance companies at the expense of Medicare patients’ access to doctors.”

Well, uh yeah. What the real problem here is is that Medicare does not have enough money but politicians have promised those who rely on the program the moon – but they cannot afford the moon. They can only afford a moon rock or two at best.

Worried that the cuts will result in the failure of the socialist entitlement as doctors decide to see fewer Medicare patients because they can make more money seeing non-Medicare patients, the liberals who love these sorts of programs are up in arms. After all, what do they care? It’s not their money. It’s yours. And as long as it is your money that is being spent it is all good to spend it.

This is what happens when you forgo the free markets for government mandates. The mandates, which are always arbitrary, do not work and do not cover the actual costs of the service, eventually cost way too much and eventually collapse when they can longer squeeze any more money out of the American taxpayers.

The ad decries how doctors are forgoing seeing or adding new Medicare patients and that we are heading for a Medicare “meltdown” unless urgent action is taken. Which tells you what? It tells you that people who either pay for their own services or have private insurance are paying the going rate for the service and that the government program is not. And to believe the ad, the only way to stop this “problem” is for Congress to take action – to make a law which they have no authority to make. Which, once again, proves the point that the free market (or in this case freer markets since private insurance is regulated out the wazzo) does it better than government! And we cannot have that! Why, we cannot have government welfare programs looking bad!

The problem is not insurance company “profits” like the ad states. The problem is government cannot do the job liberals want it to do.

Medicare, when it started in 1965, was like every other current entitlement and was supposed to only cover a few people and has since that time grown to be a major anchor on our economy and our paychecks. Will we ever learn?

I’m not holding my breath thinking that we will. Live by socialism – die by socialism. Literally in this case.

The battle to ensue comes down to a battle between citizens who have put their faith in government and the other citizens that pay their way. If the 10.6% cut does not go through it means government will have to find the extra money to pay the balance – and you know who will get stuck with the bill. Yep, the U.S. taxpayer.

But that’s ok because you’ll be promised the same benefits to be heaped on the back of future generations when you are deemed by the benevolent state to be worthy of said benefits.

Secession anyone?

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