most health related expenses occur in the last year of life, so us oldies will be the ones paying for all this...

by having the care rationed away from us - the ones not worth the effort .....

Is this what you're referring to:

"The Republican Congress passed a bill that created a panel of health care experts to make recommendations to Congress on how we could get better quality, lower cost. ... It's not going to reduce Medicare benefits. What it's going to do is to change how those benefits are delivered so that they're more efficient."

I don't understand how you conclude that care will need to be rationed, unless you are assuming that Medicare is the only option people have for coverage?

Yes, I think health care needs reform but this isn't it, imho. Start by overhauling the insurance industry and then come back and let me know what we need to tackle next.

And pretty much every major issue raised concerns insurance...

So, it would appear that is exactly where we are starting!

True. But I need someone to explain how we will add people to the insurance rolls but reduce costs.

I'm sure that's not a question I can answer. I'm trying to figure this all out, just like you; and it makes my head dizzy...

But, if we create more affordable options for health insurance, then more people can pay for coverage, and if more people are putting money into the system, wouldn't that help to reduce costs across the board?

I think the major hurdle is to allocate resources in a way that gives incentive for people to buy the service. There's an awful lot to this plan that puts the burden of cost directly on the insurance providers, which will save consumers a lot of expense - if they have coverage.

Like that ^^^^^ Miscuit!

Re Medicare - there most likely are some limits that should be done. I spent 10+ years as caregiver for my FIL. Before I got involved, he would run to the doctor for anything. Little toe hurts - off to the doctor, then complain when doc can't do anything about shoes that he bought that were 2 sizes too small. But would he stop wearing the shoes - not until we took them away.

There are a lot of seniors out there who run to the doctor for everything that comes down the pike. But there's no way to monitor that.

I think I'm going to expand my herb garden and buy some books on traditional medicine. Kitchen chemistry has got to be less painful than trying to figure this mess out.

I know this is a purposely outrageous example...

And for what it is worth, how many of these "uninsured Americans" are illegally here? Lets drop that number right from eligibility-that should save billions.

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

No, it won't. Not as long as they are still able to see a doctor. The only way the rest of us are spared the extra expense of their care is if a)they pay for the services out of pocket, or b)have insurance.