A commentator over at Digby’s “Hullabaloo” had a great idea. Since the most money is spent to take care of people in the last three years of life, obviously the real money saver would be to cut people off at the end, not raise the beginning age of eligibility.
Instead of raising the eligibility to 70, we should cut people off at 76 (the statistical lifespan). (Maybe to be humane we could go to automatic hospice care instead of a complete cutoff.)
This would have the added bonus of reducing that problem of “not enough workers per retiree” on Social Security.
I think it makes perfect sense – and NO DEATH PANEL. It is just automatic for everyone. People just have to be responsible and plan for their own care, so that is in line with the Tea Party line also.
Hey, the more I think about it, the better it sounds.
It will save money on Medicaid too, by getting people out of those nursing home beds.
It all is beginning to make sense now. The whole problem here is being caused by an unwise commitment somebody (I won’t mention names) made years ago without thinking it through. SOMEBODY decided that in this country we would commit to making sure people did not need to fear growing old in sickness, pain, poverty, misery, loneliness and homelessness. What a mistake that was!
It was a much more optimistic time when it looked like progress would go on forever. Well, progress has stopped now. Even the space program launched in 1960 with such hope and commitment to the future has been terminated for lack of funds and guts. Now we have to make a general reassessment of what is important and what we can afford. Obviously some commitments will have to be broken.
But not debts. Those have to be paid in full, on time, with interest.
Thank you, Pragmatic Realist — I’m so angry about this –which I’ve been expecting, but not from a nominal Democrat — I can’t write a rational and cogent reponse.
I did hold on — until two months before I turned 65, when I knew I wouldn’t make it financially until 65 without cancelling my $1200/month individual insurance plan. I’d cleaned out my savings, mostly to pay for health insurance.
Another nail in the coffin of the so-called Democratic Party. From a so-called Dem who is more like a Republican. A Neolib Corporatist Free-Marketeer like Obama.
Oh, yeah– he was Obama’s “mentor” when Obama came into the US Senate. Figures.
A commentator over at Digby’s “Hullabaloo” had a great idea. Since the most money is spent to take care of people in the last three years of life, obviously the real money saver would be to cut people off at the end, not raise the beginning age of eligibility.
Instead of raising the eligibility to 70, we should cut people off at 76 (the statistical lifespan). (Maybe to be humane we could go to automatic hospice care instead of a complete cutoff.)
This would have the added bonus of reducing that problem of “not enough workers per retiree” on Social Security.
I think it makes perfect sense – and NO DEATH PANEL. It is just automatic for everyone. People just have to be responsible and plan for their own care, so that is in line with the Tea Party line also.
Hey, the more I think about it, the better it sounds.
It will save money on Medicaid too, by getting people out of those nursing home beds.
It all is beginning to make sense now. The whole problem here is being caused by an unwise commitment somebody (I won’t mention names) made years ago without thinking it through. SOMEBODY decided that in this country we would commit to making sure people did not need to fear growing old in sickness, pain, poverty, misery, loneliness and homelessness. What a mistake that was!
It was a much more optimistic time when it looked like progress would go on forever. Well, progress has stopped now. Even the space program launched in 1960 with such hope and commitment to the future has been terminated for lack of funds and guts. Now we have to make a general reassessment of what is important and what we can afford. Obviously some commitments will have to be broken.
But not debts. Those have to be paid in full, on time, with interest.
Thank you, Pragmatic Realist — I’m so angry about this –which I’ve been expecting, but not from a nominal Democrat — I can’t write a rational and cogent reponse.
I did hold on — until two months before I turned 65, when I knew I wouldn’t make it financially until 65 without cancelling my $1200/month individual insurance plan. I’d cleaned out my savings, mostly to pay for health insurance.
Another nail in the coffin of the so-called Democratic Party. From a so-called Dem who is more like a Republican. A Neolib Corporatist Free-Marketeer like Obama.
Oh, yeah– he was Obama’s “mentor” when Obama came into the US Senate. Figures.