The posts on this thread all have some amount of truth in them but what is missing is the real root cause of problem. It is not Obamacare or Medicare, it is what we have allowed to happen to healthcare costs. In most cases it was because someone else was paying, either employer or government. A so called middle class family would have their yearly budget destroyed if they had to pay for a child's broken arm out of pocket. We have to do one or more of the following; take the obscene profit out of healthcare, ration care to those without means (as many on this forum promote), limit end of life care paid for by government, or cut back on military and non health entitlements to continue on course we are on now. IMO