05-04-2011, 05:07 PM
rgG wrote:
[quote=swampy]
Seniors already "buy in" to their Medicare coverage. I currently pay close to $400 a month total between my A,B & D Medicare coverage and my Medicare private supplemental coverage.
Maybe Ryan is trying to show some bipartisanship and compromise by including a requirement that everyone purchase insurance coverage. You'd think the libs would be happy about that.
So, Swampy, would you rather have the Medicare coverage you have now, or a voucher system. Be honest, which one would you choose for yourself.
The other critical question would be: do we want seniors to assume 100% of the risk and the cost of increased rates over time. So that $400 per month (this may be on the high side, so probably a fairly good combination of plans) would increase by 10% or more per year. The Ryan fantasy is that competition between private plans would reduce that overall increase in medical inflation, but we have seen almost no evidence of that in this country, over multiple directly parallel situations (including Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplemental and Medicare Part D).