Deseret News | Medicare's pending collapse due to lack of courage

Reader comments
Joseph Cramer, M.D.: Medicare's pending collapse due to lack of courage

Doctor | 5:41 a.m. May 23, 2009

While Medicare is about to become no more, isn't it amazing that the "GOVERNMENT" officials will still have benefits and care for life, all because they're so full of BS?!?!!

Time for the American people to start stripping away some of these on going perks that these crooks sneak away with in D.C.

Wake up America!!!!

Invisible Hand | 6:51 a.m. May 23, 2009

So what do you propose to do about it? It's one thing to get people thinking about this, but I'd rather see solutions.

How about raising the age to get benefits? Put in some means testing so it serves as a safety net rather than entitlement for people who can afford their own pills. And I'm going to use the R word. Let's face the facts that we can only provide what we can pay for and that means rationing. Face it: people who want the government to pay for their health care have to tolerate rationing.

Roland Kayser | 7:45 a.m. May 23, 2009

If we get our medical costs down to the level of, say, France, most of long term budget problems simply vanish. That of course would mean a change to "socialized" medicine.

Comments continue below

Obama on C-Span today: | 8:48 a.m. May 23, 2009

"We're out of money."

Wow, never thought I'd hear those blessed words come out of the president's mouth.

"Well, we are out of money now. We are operating in deep deficits, not caused by any decisions we've made on health care so far. This is a consequence of the crisis that we've seen and in fact our failure to make some good decisions on health care over the last several decades.

"So we've got a short-term problem, which is we had to spend a lot of money to salvage our financial system, we had to deal with the auto companies, a huge recession which drains tax revenue at the same time it's putting more pressure on governments to provide unemployment insurance or make sure that food stamps are available for people who have been laid off.

"So we have a short-term problem and we also have a long-term problem. The short-term problem is dwarfed by the long-term problem. And the long-term problem is Medicaid and Medicare. If we don't reduce long-term health care inflation substantially, we can't get control of the deficit."

TRUTH HURTS!

KM | 11:24 a.m. May 23, 2009

The lefts answer to everything is we can fund anything and pay for it with higher taxes. Well, isn't it funny to see the biggest social spending president in the history of the world say; "we're out of money." It took him how long to figure this out? Now, thankfully, reason will prevail in Washington and they will stop spending money we don't have, and funding projects that are not nessesary.

Sorry kids | 1:15 p.m. May 23, 2009

But the federal gov't is NEVER bankrupt, or out of money, or in any way concerned about deficits. The fed can always do what civilians can never do, and that's go to the high-speed printer and make more money. And as long as people are still crossing the borders legally or illegally, the tax base continues to grow. Medicare, Medicaid, SS, WIC, whatever program created by the socially guiltridden and vote-hogging of our society has never had funding that did not rob the taxpayer from his/her constitutionally provided-for services, ie., general welfare and defense.

If the fed was out of money, or concerned in the least about funds, you'd see reductions in wages and personnel in gov't ranks. Neither takes place, not even in an economy such as today. But have no fear, there will be elections in another 18 months where we get to do it all over again (choose the incumbents, that is).

@sorry kids | 4:04 p.m. May 23, 2009

you are so naieve and ignorant. "the gov't is never bankrupt? Let time work its ongoing magic, my friend. Let all this over spending and wasteful programs take there due rewards. Watch as the dollar becomes nothing more than paper, as interest rates soar like never before. Watch as the AAA rating of the U.S.A. is downgraded, and watch as the world currency is no longer based on the U.S. dollar.
My advice to you, sir, is to get your house in order. To get some savings, gold and silver preferably. And prepare to help yourself and your loved ones through some very difficult times. Good luck, my friend, and look at the world with optimism and a jaundiced eye.

RE: Roland Kayser | 5:24 p.m. May 23, 2009

HOW do get those cost down?

governemnt controls the cost this way:

control cost of services,

-hospital and clinics no longer have enough money to provide quality care, leads lower quality wait times, patient stacking, etc,

control wages,

-causes healtcare professionaals to leave system, cause fewer to go into healthcare, leads descese quality of care longer wait times,

control budget for healthcare

-denial of care or service, much higher and increased taxes and fees of all sorts

control cost of drugs

-less money for drug conpaies, less forresearch a development, leads to fewer new drugs or vaccines, decreases qaaity of care

INSURANCE IS NOT THE ANSWER, some one will always be controling things and calling all the shots,

and GOVERNMENT INSURED CARE IS EVEN WORSE,

regardles of the stories (some made up) of the benefits socialized care,

there are just too many REAL stories about the problems with socialzed care.

Anonymous | 5:43 p.m. May 23, 2009

There are even more REAL stories about the problems with a system that leaves so many with little or no coverage.

@4:04 | 5:56 p.m. May 23, 2009

ask any member of congress if they feel the US is bankrupt. They will say no. Barry doesn't even believe we're in that bad of shape. "We've seen worse, and we'll get through it." Why? because we can print our own money. Your house should be in order. Yes. My house in order. It is, Yes. Gov't house in order? You've got to be kidding. All they have to do is raise and create new taxes. Where have you been these last 60 years?

Earl | 6:31 p.m. May 23, 2009

Printing more money has consequences, and I think Obama knows it. The bailouts are going to result in shocking levels of price inflation and dollar devaluation already, so printing more money on top of that to "save" Medicare and Social Security would put us into hyperinflation and eventual collapse of the dollar. The fact of the matter is, the government has painted itself into a corner, and there's no good way out. The day of reckoning is soon upon us.

Earl | 6:43 p.m. May 23, 2009

Taxes are not that easy to raise. Nothing will cause a revolt faster than raising taxes as much as they will need to be raised. You can get away with gradual raises, kind of like the "how to boil a frog" analogy, but turning up the heat too quickly results in people bailing out.

Idiots | 8:29 p.m. May 23, 2009

in Washington are supposed to be the smartest in the nation to lead our country. Yet, it seems many fail to pay honest taxes and struggle balancing a check book. Look out America, you seen notin' yet.

rsp | 9:56 p.m. May 23, 2009

Wow! I actually agreed with Dr. Cramer today. That is, until the last sentence of his column. What are we going to do about it? I'm sure Dr Cramer would love for us to increase taxes to pay for the benefits (that he correctly stated) his generation is entitled to. The Federal government committed itself to pay for his generation's medical expenses in their "golden years". I don't believe in going back on your word. The American voter needs to understand that there are consequences to their "do-gooder" intentions. I say tax every American worker's incomes (regardless of the level) to pay for the medical costs we have committed ourselves to pay. Who cares if it sends our economy into a death spiral?

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