Quote:
Originally Posted by Navy (SSBN 633)
Medicare for "all" would be a disaster....The Govt cant run anything....example post office, social security...medicare...and they want to put everyone on medicare???...I dont think so!!
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Well, sadly, I have to agree with what you said if we add the word "today". However, to put it into perspective -
1. The post office was the best in the world and many countries sent they people here etc learn how we designed and ran ours. It is the advent of email, FedEx and UPS that killed our post office and not so much the government which actually has little to do with its operation and virtually nothing to do with funding.
2. Social Security currently supports over 60 million seniors (my wife and I included) and has been self funding since the beginning. We get our checks every month on time and have never experienced any issues of any kind when working with the SS. Unlike private for profit retirement options it is GUARNTEED by the safest most reliable insurer in the world - the US GOVERNMENT. I sleep easy at night knowing my checks will be coming for the rest of my life. I am 70 and current trust fund exhaustion is predicted to happen in 2035 if NOTHING is done to fix it. At which point if I am still around I will see up to 80% of my current checks. No other retirement plan in the world can claim that security.
3. Medicare is rated by international organizations as one of the best liked socialized medical systems in the world. While not perfect it provides excellent healthcare (paid for by each of us while working) that is in general well liked by over 60 million American seniors.
4. And finally one you did not mention, the VA Healthcare system which in fact is run by the government. Other than some recent issues with overcrowding (mainly do to underfunding by the government) I can say from personal experience of both myself and my wife that it is a fantastic system. Better than any of the for profit systems available. The VA healthcare is a PURE socialized medical care system paid for out of the government general funds (not paid for by all workers like the SS and medicare) and it is operated exclusively by the government. I happen to think the proposed voucher system is the worst idea ever thought up and will destroy the VA Healthcare by converting it into a for profit system. Just look at what happened to college tuitions when the government started providing vouchers to students (guaranteeing student loans) for an example of what is going to happen to the VA.
I do not know what experience you have had with the VA health care (with a navy user name, I assume you were in the Navy), and if it was negative, I am sorry to hear that, I know some veterans have had and do have problems. No system is perfect, but it is a stunningly excellent system in the areas I have seen and used.