NYTimes skeptical of GOP ideas for Medicare reform.
A New York Times (12/18, Subscription Publication) editorial said, "Republicans are arguing that helping older and disabled Americans buy private insurance would be cheaper for the federal government and better for beneficiaries. ... Their ideas deserve careful scrutiny, but we are skeptical that any of the proposals for premium support that have been floated by Republicans can rein in Medicare spending without harming beneficiaries, financially or medically." In a "dysfunctional and far too costly healthcare system, Medicare still works better than most private plans and offers the best chance for promoting wider reforms."
Study finds lower Medicare, Medicaid fees shift costs to insurers.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (12/17, Boulton) reported, "An estimated $851 million is added to the cost of commercial health insurance to make up for the lower fees that Medicare and Medicaid pay hospitals in southeastern Wisconsin, according to a study" from the Greater Milwaukee Business Foundation on Health. The study "supports the long-standing position of the hospital industry that the government health programs don't cover their share of costs and that the shortfall is passed on to employers and individuals through higher prices for commercial health plans." The Journal Sentinel notes that this conclusion, while "widely held in the business community and among elected officials...is challenged by most health economists."
Вот так и живём. Первая статья называется, "мне хочется, чтобы государственная страховка работала, поэтому она работает". Даже если во второй статье той же раззылки указывается на исследования, говорящее, что это, мягко выражаясь, не так. Страусы.
А вот то, что идею Райана и Вайдена не приняли всерьёз - это очень жалко. Не приняли, кстати, похоже именно из-за того, что они признают, что гос.страховка не работает. Ну, они доиграются, что врачи перестанут её принимать.