Comments on: Entitlement Madness, Part II

By: Instead of a “public option,” how about a “private option”? | Independence Institute: Patient Power

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:20:23 +0000

[...] by underpaying doctors, how doctors often refuse to see patients, and how these financially unsustainable programs will suffocate the U.S [...]

By: Bob Chandler

Bob Chandler — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:40:37 +0000

Have you seen any modeling of the effect means testing may have in terms of changes to the Medicare growth curve? What does a solution look like?

By: Dick Tozer

Dick Tozer — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:36:47 +0000

John, thanks for all your work and for publicizing the facts…but…referring to the last line of the first page, how can I have a good day after reading this?

By: Mark Kellen

Mark Kellen — Mon, 11 May 2009 21:59:51 +0000

John has stated the problem quite clearly. However, what few people realize is that many physicians have a poor perception of the Medicare program. You can check out the follwing link for a sample of physician responses.

http://www.aapsonline.org/medicare/medrep.htm

In essence we are spending and have promised to spend trillions of dollars on a program which is becoming more and more of a hindrance to quality medical care.

Mark Kellen, MD

By: John Goodman

John Goodman — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:32:40 +0000

PERC is the Private Enterprise Research Center at Texa A & M University. It is headed by Thomas Saving, who was for many years a Trustee of Social Security and Medicare.

By: Christopher Fey

Christopher Fey — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:09:24 +0000

John…this is a great analysis. We believe that if we could enroll the entire US population into The Prevention Plan we could make a significant dent in the coming crisis.

We bundled primary, secondary and tertiary prevention (prevention, early detection, chronic disease management and care coordination/advocacy) into the first health benefit for prevention.

This approach was identified in the Milken Institute’s 2007 Study, An Unhealthy America.

For more info go to http://www.USPreventiveMedicine.com.

Headquartered in McKinney, TX.

By: David R. Henderson

David R. Henderson — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:18:20 +0000

What’s PERC? It’s not the outfit in Montana, is it?

By: Don Levit

Don Levit — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:17:24 +0000

John:
I share your concerns of these unfunded liabilities.
But you probably know these liabilities are not really liabilities.

The GASAB, who is the accounting advisor for the federal government, came out with a paper a few years ago entitled Accounting for Social Insurance, Revised.

From page 8 “Expenses and liabilities are incurred for social insurance when the amount of benefit is due and payable.”

Page 9 “Characterizing future benefits as liabilities may undermine efforts to reform these programs.”

Page 80 “The liability for all social benefits should be recognized only when all eligibility criteria have been satisfied, which means the liability generally equals the next payment.”

So, the unfunded liabilities are really only the payments due for the next year.
This is where legality and politicality collide.
Unfortunately, economics still ultimately prevails.
And, the government does not take its economic responsibility seriously enough.
Don Levit

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:53:18 +0000

The graph says it all. Let’s see, Bernie Madoff is going to prison because he did what?

By: Vicki

Vicki — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:51:15 +0000

Great song paring, John. As usual.

Problem is: These guys don’t want your help.