Saving Medicare: Free Market Reforms Are Better than Bureaucratic Rationing

[nottinmatterz2day]

taken from another channel?

[plutocratarianism]

There's no such thing as a Free Market anymore, it is all socialism, it's either welfare for the rich corporations through tax breaks and bailouts, or it's welfare for the middle class or for the poor.

Currently Rich CEOs and Big Corporations, and millionaires and billionaires are the largest welfare beneficiaries in this country, since they can afford lobbyists to lobby for their benefits.

[nowthatsinteresting1]

@plutocratarianism Or maybe the free market has just produced what it will inevitably produce: near-monopolies where whole economic sectors are subject to little or no competition. Perhaps the free market is doomed to failure (as it has just done, and spectacularly), not because of anything to do with socialism, but just because it is a crap system that should never have been given such power over the lives of us all.

[Spjungen]

@nowthatsinteresting1 You're an idiot. If you think we've had a free market in recent years your head is so far up your ass I wouldn't be surprised if you can see your own throat from the inside.

[nowthatsinteresting1]

@Spjungen Because I'm British you may have to explain what you're saying. So big government interference is the only reason that the free market hasn't worked?

[Spjungen]

@nowthatsinteresting1 Companies can't have "near-monopolies" without a government to help them. Corporate welfare is corporatism, and it's the polar opposite of a free market.

There's a BIIIIG big difference between a company getting big because it's efficient, cares about its customers, and sells a product people generally like and want to buy (i.e. Apple, Starbucks, etc) and a company getting big because it's ripping people off through easy government credit (i.e. Goldman Sachs)

[Spjungen]

@nowthatsinteresting1 But you wouldn't know, would you? To you the free market is one big bad businessman guy just stealing everyone's money through a big magic rip-off machine.

You have no idea how economics works, and would therefore do well to remain silent.

[Spjungen]

@plutocratarianism Couldn't have said it better myself.

You know what's amazing though? There was a time in the late 19th century when the economy was about as close as it'll probably ever get to being free...when people genuinely had to work for what they got, and so did corporations.

Of course most people like to portray that as a time when big corporations were stomping all over people and making them work in sweatshops but, my friend Lawrence Reed, has a little bone to pick with that idea ^^

[zargotte27]

There are a lot of problems with both systems, it's picking the least of the two devils. In one there is more patient autonomy, and more ownership of your healthcare dollar, in the other, there is less flexiblity but less fear as well, because you know that you will not have to poney up 125 thousand bucks for a coronary artery bypass when you have a voucher good for 15 grand. I don't pretend that the latter is the best, but it's better than the proposed former.

[tbwil11]

@zargotte27 The voucher is used for the purchase of a health insurance plan, not for payment of medical bills themselves.

[zargotte27]

@tbwil11 I think you're missing a key part of this, in that the aforementioned private insurer will be reimbursed for medical procedures per beneficiary per year up to a pre-specified amount (not the case right now) - that is what I was referring to in my previous post in that for some people this system would likely suffice, but for a lot, they would run out of their allotment. If the point is to make wealthy seniors pay for themselves, there are better ways of doing it.

[tbwil11]

@zargotte27 Thats not how I saw it. Unless I am missing something,the voucher is an allotment to purchase a health insurance policy from an insurance provider the same way an employer pays an insurance provider for group coverage for their employees.Thats why it gives you more control over your healthcare, you choose which company and plan and pay for it with the voucher. Right now the medicare system pays doctors directly, so they are for all intents and purposes acting as the insurance company

[zargotte27]

I can't believe people actually buy this crap; a Ferrari doesn't equal heart surgery even though they may cost the same amount. I wish somebody would catch these guys on tape when they're drunk and hear them say what they really think: they don't care about anybody who doesn't have piles of money.

[tbwil11]

@zargotte27 This guy is trying to stop a serious problem that has been developing for a while now that is gonna hurt a lot of folks, you moreso than me if you are in fact in your twenties. His analogy about spending other peoples money makes sense. At least try to see what he means before you dismiss it. Big govt does nothing efficiently and that will never change. Do you want a govt bureaucrat like the person at the DMV having final say in your medical treatment?

[kirbyman1kanden7pf]

Koch sucker!

[WhereDidItAllGo7]

Just cutting military spending and "soaking" the "rich" will not solve the insermountable 114,000,000,000,000 TRILLION entitlement disaster that is looming up you and your children. Wake up Amerika and stop using politics to cover up your moral difficiencies!

[kirbyman1kanden7pf]

@WhereDidItAllGo7 so u want to take the money from people that don't have it instead?

[tbwil11]

@kirbyman1kanden7pf no thats what dems want to do

[WhereDidItAllGo7]

If we can just "control the people" we can perfect the system. Hello control freaks, please read history.

[NewWorldAhead]

YOU'RE AN IDIOT. LEAVE MEDICARE ALONE. RAISE TAXES ON THE RICH, STOP SUBSIDIZING OIL COMPANIES AND LOWER MILITARY SPENDING AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GIVE THE ELDERLY THEIR MEDICARE. YOU PEOPLE ARE EVIL COCKSUCKERS

[tbwil11]

@NewWorldAhead You are the idiot if you believe we need to "leave medicare alone". The asinine suggestion of "raising taxes on the rich" will only slow the economy even more since a lot of "the rich" (to use your class whorefare cliche's)are small businesses and the top 1% pay 39% of all fed income taxes, just how much is their share?Gotta Number in mind? Cut defense you say?The same defense spending that as a % of the fed budget is at historic lows..even with the Iraq and Afghan expenditures??

[TheTruthHurtsAlot3]

@tbwil11

He's totally correct you, ignor-anus! Funny that once Clinton raised taxes just slightly, the economy did much better. Hmmmmm. You give up your Medicare and I'll keep mine, thank you very much LOLOL

[tbwil11]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 So you are saying that raising taxes in an already slow economy when theres already talk of double dip recession would make the economy better?Did you figure in the welfare reform that the republicans dragged Clinton to the table kicking and screaming or the tech bubble or the conservative congress when you were evaluating Clinton's economic success? Also how will you "keep your medicare" if it is on an unsustainable path? How many years until you are eligible for medicare?

[NewWorldAhead]

@tbwil11

Ok, so what you are telling me is that in the richest country in the world, where people and corporations are making record profits, we can't keep our seniors on Medicare? Bullshit!

[tbwil11]

@NewWorldAhead Congratulations, you filled a post with dem cliche's and no real thought, where are your numbers? What corporations and what do their profits have to do with Medicare? What is wrong with giving younger folks the same choices we give members of congress? Why would we want to "keep seniors on medicare"? I'm 48 and I will be one of the first to opt for a new plan. Big govt does nothing efficiently and you are wrong if you think the answer is throwing money at the same failing program

[TheTruthHurtsAlot3]

All the stupid 97 people that voted thumbs up for this video are all members of the Cato instiutute. No normal human being would vote for this shit.

[NecxZhor9]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 you seem upset

[TheTruthHurtsAlot3]

@NecxZhor9

Why do you say that? I think breaking the back of seniors is unChristian and hugely immoral.

[tbwil11]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 Why would you think anyone wants to break the back of seniors---seniors are exempt from any reforms which will no doubt piss some of them off. What exactly is "breaking their back" and for G_ds sakes man, who is doing it?? Are YOU a Christian and why is it immoral to give folks like me at 48 a say in their healthcare when they get older?

[TheTruthHurtsAlot3]

@tbwil11

I am 51 y/o and I want Medicare, not a say in where I buy it LOLOLOL. I want the Medicare that's been working for decades. If you want to buy your own, then give your Medicare to someone wwho needs it

[tbwil11]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 You want to ignore that you will have to conficate earnings from future wage earners to get "your medicare". Medicare as we know it was a bad idea and it is heading toward insolvency. Why would a fine Christian fellow such as yourself want to saddle future generations with the same failing system you and I got suckered into? SSI is no better, big govt programs do not work because they do not have the element of personal individual involvement and accountability.

[TheTruthHurtsAlot3]

@tbwil11

As I said, give your SSI and Medicare to someone who wants it. I think Congress should pass a bill that all teabaggers don't get SSI or Medicare and the rest of the country does. Maybe that will shut you up LOL

[tbwil11]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 Well you go ahead and bury your head back in the sand and be a good little sheep. When the system gets unmanageable and tries to throttle costs by govt fiat and your favorite doc wont take medicare patients anymore, (which is happening now) I wonder if you will still be the little 10 year old sitting with his arms folded and whining "I want my medicare". Personally, I like the idea of having the same plan as the legislators, why would they opt out if it wasn't a better plan.

[TheTruthHurtsAlot3]

@tbwil11

Well, Congressmen get full coverage paid by the government LOL. So thanks for agreeing with me LOLOLOL

[tbwil11]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 You have your age listed as 85, what are you worried about and why would you screw future generations? What do you not understand about unsustainable system?

[tbwil11]

@TheTruthHurtsAlot3 You dont appear competent to have a real exchange of ideas. I don't know if it is a lack of knowledge or maturity but just throwing insults,slurs and cliche's with no factual arguments to illustrate your point is a waste of everyone's time. If you are in fact 51 and you are being told that the present system is failing and PRESENTLY there are doctors who wont take medicare patients, why would you dismiss out of hand any attempts to reform the system using the private sector?

[Weenchit]

Please don't ever stop making these videos and don't let anyone replace you!

Thank you!!!

[818ALLANCECCALDI818]

every industrialized nation has some sort of socialized healthcare except guess who?

[marlonyo]

how come 3 world counties like costa rica or elsalvador are able to pull better public health programs than usa at a fraction of the cost per person than the usa? I blame big farma they charge as much as person can pay.

[lgfarlow]

Of course they'll never do this because the goal is not to save Medicare or really help people, the goal is to maintain and increase government control. Anything that gives control back to citizens is anathema.

[barthezz81]

dann hör doch nicht hin du depp wenns deiner meinung nach ami crap musik ist

[julane3401]

His graph left off a bar representing the amount we spend on the military industrial complex. If dwarfs all the others combined, as was warned many years ago by the allied forces commander and our US president, Eisenhower.

[slammer489]

@julane3401 Watch it again and pay attention at 37 seconds in. It shows national defense as the biggest share of the budget.

[Truthpolice9698]

I know you did not have enough time but a quick explanation of HSA would have been a nice addition. Other than that it was a good video.

[SuperSneakySteve]

Abortion = Murder

[jrsub3]

@SuperSneakySteve Not that I don't agree that abortion is a scourge and in most cases unjustifiable if one agrees natural rights begin at conception, but the point is true; abortions are still primarily out of pocket costs, so people are less likely to go get one.

Even though nationmaster has us pretty high on "abortions per capita"...so imagine if government ever really ramped up subsidies on that? Moral problem aside...jeeze.

[nilsca]

health care = cell-phones, furniture and shampoo ... yeah, sure

vouchers, vouchers, vouchers ... wow, weakest cf&p video so far

[Truthpolice9698]

@nilsca Would you prefer inflation destroy the program?

[dab0331]

@nilsca you're an idiot. he's saying that in a free market new things always start off expensive. but with time and competition prices go down.

just like how no body bought a DVD player back then becuz it was too much. but once it was widely accepted it became affordable.

medicare is NOT a natural born right.

[dab0331]

@nilsca and i'm guessing you completely look over the part of the 3rd party buyer.

healthcare has become more expensive since the government got involved and subsidized it.

it's called "moral hazard".

[DJRonnieG]

I don't think food should sit among consumer electronics in an example regarding consumers affecting the free market price mechanisms.

Are there not subsidies for milk and other staples?

[yakyakyak69]

How about taking the gov't out of our healthcare entirely!

Leave the market FREE with gov't stopping monopolies (even gov't monopoly) from interfering with FREE Competition!

[a4finger]

great video!

[newengland72]

I really like the graph @ 5:13

[RMT87]

and in other news, reported by zerohedge: social security is screwed. "The open group unfunded obligation over the 75-year projection period has increased from $5.4 trillion (present discounted value as of January 1, 2010) to $6.5 trillion (present discounted value as of January 1, 2011)...For the combined OASDI Trust Funds to remain solvent, the payroll tax rate could be increased an immediate and permanent 2.15%, (or) scheduled benefits could be reduced by an immediate and permanent 13.8%."

[RMT87]

@RMT87 SS Trust Fund - "We lost $1.1 Trillion last year!

[thegreatlordkaiser]

You tell them, Dan!

[Mrcharliebobo]

Why don't we cut out the insurance company's, and make it affordable for everyone?

[IPA300]

@Mrcharliebobo Because they aren't the ones making it unaffordable.

[thegreatlordkaiser]

@Mrcharliebobo using an insurance company is strictly voluntary. You can get your bill reduced to about a third of what it was by asking to pay cash at most places where medical service is provided.

[jrsub3]

@thegreatlordkaiser Someone told me that they don't want to see a doctor because it cost "$450 last time"

Last time I paid for out of pocket health insurance, it cost me $190 / mo, and still didn't meet Romneycare requirements.

So you can basically get high quality treatment 5 times a year, for the same cost as a crappy health insurance plan w/ a high deductible. We sure do have an awesome payment plan in the US!

I'd almost rather be full on socialist in HC...keyword almost.

[carcabe]

@Mrcharliebobo "cut out"? You mean destroy by force. Ugly and not productive. Don't be afraid of freedom. We are in this mess because there is already too much force and control.