The recent back-and-forth on medicare versus private health insurance in recent posts on this forum is kind of entertaining. Laughable really. All the conversation completely avoids the question of whether Medicare-eligible posters would gladly, willingly, enthusiastically...give up their Medicare entitlement and opt for private insurance alone. How many posting here would enthusiastically embrace the Paul Ryan/Tea party plan for Medicare? Basically, that plan eliminates Medicare within ten years.

My guess is that very, very few of us would make that decision. Heck, even an overwhelming majority of Tea Party members have indicated they like their Medicare in recent polls. So I guess they say one thing while on TV, but say what they really believe when participating in a series of poll questions?

What's not funny about this situation is that Medicare does have to be changed, and in a very big way, if this country is to make any progress towards fiscal responsibility. I don't know what the changes will be, but it wouldn't surprise me if the entitlement was aggressively "means tested", the premiums increased dramatically, copays elevated to cause people to think a lot before just running off to the doctor, rules tightened substantially to limit unnecessary tests and treatments (rationing), and tight controls on end-of-life expenditures (death panels or "killing grandma").
Are any of the most conservative members of Congress saying any of this? Even the Tea Party members other than Paul Ryan? No. Are any of the people, including posters on this forum, admitting that these types of things will be necessary? No.

So all this empty bantering calls for the biggest question: is anyone really serious about healthcare reform other than in a "soundbite" way ("kill Obama care", etc.)? Other than Paul Ryan and maybe a few others who have a vote...no, not that I can see.

How many of you embrace the Ryan/Tea Party Plan for healthcare reform? That calls for a simple yes or no answer, not a lot of weaseling around with new conditions on what you feel. Just a simple yes or no. Yes means kill Medicare within ten years. No means keep Medicare.

I'm voting NO.