Although I guess there might be a broad consensus that any limited health care resources would be wasted on me, once the inevitable rationing of health care takes hold, it just won’t pay to be old.
Shannon Love sums up the situation nicely:
So the Democrats have a problem convincing senior citizens that socialized medicine won’t diminish the already dubious quality of care they receive through Medicare. [h/t Instapundit]
Seniors no doubt base this suspicion in large part on their 50+ adult years of watching politicians over-promise and under-deliver. They probably remember back to 1965 when Medicare itself was sold as a cost-saving measure, and today we’re told it’s going to bankrupt the government unless we socialize 15% of the economy. They no doubt wonder how long it will be before Obama’s ideological descendants will tell us that Obama’s miracle plan is a disaster than can only be solved by more socialism.
Seniors have another reason to be nervous. Obama’s plan will put them in direct competition with everyone else for health care spending.
Right now we compartmentalize government health-care spending. We have one program for the poor (Medicaid) and one for the elderly (Medicare). Each is paid for by a separate flat tax on wages. The government doesn’t spend any money on health care for the middle class. This means that if the government spends more money on health care for the poor it doesn’t automatically mean they spend less on the elderly. More importantly, it means that when the government spends more on the poor or elderly it doesn’t directly mean middle-class families have less spent on them. Middle-class families might see their payroll taxes go up but they can compensate by trimming spending in all of their budget areas. Those taxes don’t come directly out of their health-care budgets. With the current system, health-care spending is a nonzero-sum game, i.e., spending more on one compartment does not automatically mean spending less on another compartment.
The elderly consume 70% of all health-care spending.[updated here and here] That means that when it comes to cost control they will bear the brunt of the burden. If we don’t cut spending on the elderly we can’t reduce costs without simply denying care for everyone else. When it comes down to a choice between spending on old people and children, the elderly know full well who we are going to pick.
You know, for those who deny this will be the ultimate result of Obamacare, there is ample evidence out there. I take judicial notice of the fact that the British health care bureaucrats have decided that steriods are not a cost effective treatment for the elderly, essentially overriding the decision of physicians and relagting countless patients to a life of pain. Closer to home, our beloved president is on record as saying the hip replacement received by his grandmother was not a wise use of medical resources.
So, for those of you who have chosen to live a healthy lifestyle all I can say is too bad for you. It just won’t pay to grow old in the brave new world of “hope and change”.
In other (unrelated?) news, it seems The One is not faring to well in the polls of late.
Overall, 47% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President’s performance. That’s the lowest level of total approval yet recorded. The President’s ratings first fell below 50% just a few weeks ago on July 25. Fifty-two percent (52%) now disapprove.
Looks like those racist angry mobs engaging in un-American protests might be speaking on behalf of the majority.
Let’s roll!
Funny you didn’t seem to care about the polls were when they didn’t approve of Bush and the war in Iraq.
I also don’t think you were a big fans of people like the “Dixie Bitches” that opposed and protested Bush and the war.
Why do the polls and protesters matter now?
Actually, the polls and protesters don’t matter. I always respected the fact that Bush stuck to what he believed no matter how unpopular. What does matter to me is that Congress listen to the people and not pass what I believe will be an unmitgated disaster known as Obamacare.
My beef with the Dixie Bitches was two-fold–you don’t trash your own country on foriegn soil. We can fight amongst ourselves at home, but outside of our borders we need to respect what it means to be an American. The other problem I had was that having said what they said, the Bitches whined about the reaction they received. Yes, we have free speech but it cuts both ways. Say what you want, but if you get called out on it by others exercising free speech except the consequences without complaint.
I appreciate your comments here Kevin.
The Dixie Chicks did not trash their country. They said they were embarassed Bush came from their home state of Texas. And they made a lot of money and won a grammy for that “whine.”
The elderly should come last when dispensing resources from the government. Wow that was hard to write and I pray my parents and in-laws don’t see it. Its like there is this big taboo on stating the truth on this subject. The only legitimate reason for the government to be involved in health care is because of its vested interest. The vested interest is the people and their contribution to the country and the strain health care is placing on the economy. But let’s focus on the people.
Shannon Love predicts it will come down to choosing between old people and children and implies children will be picked first. I am not so sure about that. It certainly use to be true in society-all societies– that more resources were invested in the children as they are seen the future. Then came AARP and suddenly the pendulum swung.
John you take umbrage with Obama’s statement that his grandmother’s hip replacement surgery was not a wise use of medical resources. It probably wasn’t. When you have only a finite amount of resources you should be expending them in a manner to get the most bang for your buck. For the government this means ensuring a healthy work force. The elderly are generally not part of the work force.
Me, I take umbrage in using scare tactics and interuptions to prevent honest debate and dissemination of information on the issue of health care. Ooooh seniors beware! Yeah go after them, scare them off with BS. They have a powerful lobby group–kids don’t. They get to vote. Kids don’t.
How about instead of drumming up phoney dire consequences we just stick to the facts. The health care plan will…….. wait there isn’t actually a health care plan yet. There are several versions being written. Obama is talking up his guidelines to Congress -his promises of what he wants the helat care plan to deliver but there isn’t really anthing concrete yet. You want to complain about Obamacare? You don’t have to look any further than that. He wants us to buy into a plan that hasn’t got any substance yet. He wants it voted on and passed without national debate or the chance for us to see what it really entails.
Congress is not made up of the smartest people in the land but those with enough money (usualy family) and/or influence to get elected. Where are the subject matter experts?
Then there is the writing of the bill itself. Imagine if you will what the bill of Rights or the Constitution would look like if drafted in this day and age. These guys do not know how to write a brief concise document. They want to fudge the language in some instances thinking in advance how it can be twisted to support a particular agenda. They want it to be so long sometimes so they can tuck little bombshells in without others noticing. They make the process to complicated and take too long. I do not trust Congress to draft a bill to address and correct the health care problems faced by our country. So you want reasons to rant and rave about Obama care? I just gave you some good ones that do not require you to speculate.
An old buddy of mine worked as a pharamceutical rep. and told me that government or no government, doctors have various incentives to prescribe meds, which may or may not necessarily be in the absolute best interests of the patients to begin with. A bit disconcerning for sure. Add to that situations like you list above where the government intervenes to say that they don’t allow certain medications to be prescribed in certain situations, well, what the hell kind of medical care can you expect? The question becomes one of who do you trust more? Doctors? Pharmaceutical companies? The surgeon general? Your insurance carrier? Grandma’s book of home remedies using generous amounts of vinegar, witch’s hazel, garlic cloves and chicken soup is your best bet.
As for the Dixie Chicks…their opinion means nothing really, but to take the line of the argument one step further: they have the right to complain, and people have the right to complain about their complaint, to which they have the right to further complain about the reaction, to which you have the right to complain about their complaints regarding the complaints about their complaints. The freedom of everyone to air their beefs about it is all very “American”. The freedom for me to sit around in my pajamas with a cup of coffee and make idle comments on blogs is all very “Canadian”…pass the back bacon please.
VJ: That is classic!
VJ – Damn you just gave me a headache….
“The elderly should come last when dispensing resources from the government”
“The only legitimate reason for the government to be involved in health care is because of its vested interest. The vested interest is the people and their contribution to the country and the strain health care is placing on the economy”
Fortuneate, you give some valid reasons to oppose Obamacare later in your comment, but Wow is right. The statements above are precisely why we don’t want government making health care choices.
Scary, scary stuff.
VJ that was brilliant!
John I agree the government should not make health care choices. Health care choices should be reserved to the individual. By health care choices I mean life style, the decision as to when to seek medical attention and from whom, and the procedures we want employed-tests, exams, medicine, etc. (How is the attempt to stop smoking coming along by the way?)
No the government should not have the right to make health care choices for the individual but they do have a right to determine how government money is spent. You make the choice and they will tell you what they are willing to fund. If it isn’t enough to meet your choices well then you need to cough up the rest either out of pocket or by obtaining your own insurance.
Not a lot of individual chocies under this plan. And yes it has not been finalized. But, under all 4-5 versions it gives the goverment to much say.