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Vic Smith

On Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:01:49 -0400, wrote:

Medicare is a good demonstration of how expensive government medical
care is tho. They spend 3% of every wage earned in this country,
covering about 15-16 % of the population and they are going broke
doing it. The people covered still need supplemental private
insurance.
As long as we understand universal medical care will end up being a
30-50% increase in our income taxes (depending of if we still need
supplemental private insurance) it is fine with me. The problem is
they are selling this as "free".

Depends who you're talking about.
That 15-16% insured by Medicare is old people 65 and up.
Non-old people who have private health insurance where my wife works
are paying less than 10% income tax, but 50% health insurance tax -
not even counting the Medicare deduction.
That's why most don't carry it and go the go to the e-room for medical
care.
Median family wages is this country is about $46k.
Probably less than 15% income tax for a couple, even less with kids.
Average health insurance family cost is about $12k.
So the median family who carries health insurance is "taxed"
26% for that. I'm counting employer costs too, as you did for
Medicare, because you just can't ignore that cost.
For the median family who carries health insurance, a 30-50% increase
in income tax while dropping 26% health care cost is a winner.
For higher income families, it's a loser.
You're right about them selling it as free, especially since Obama and
the Dems won't come out and say "higher income taxes."
The Reps have them cowed about taxes.
Besides that, the "cost savings" they are always crowing about are
hard to see if they don't do tort reform and eliminate malpractice and
defensive medicine costs. Then there's fraud, which they hardly ever
talk about.
It's a big mess, but I guarantee it will be changed one way or
another.
I'm predicting they'll end up with gov subsidies for private health
care insurance, as they're already doing with the unemployed.
IOW, you'll pay more taxes that go to private companies.
Perfect solution really. Commie private enterprise. Pretty much how
Wall Street already operates.
Taxing the folks to give to other folks is just plain commie if it's
gov run.
But if you tax the folks to give to private enterprise to dole out as
they see fit, it becomes commie private enterprise.
With "private enterprise" in there it has a better ring to it.

--Vic