Two ideas to pay for health care
Two suggestions to pay for the health care bill: First, reduce the amount of assets that one spouse can keep when the other gets Medicaid (not Medicare). I'm sure most Americans would be shocked to know, as I recently was, that the healthy spouse can keep the house, car, life insurance, prepaid funeral plan, and $104,000 of fluid assets while the other spouse has his/her nursing home costs paid entirely by Medicaid. I understand allowing the house and car, but doesn't $104,000 in a bank account seem a little high when you're looking for public aid?
A single person is allowed only $2,000 in assets to qualify for Medicaid. Imagine the money that would be saved if this asset limit was lowered to a more reasonable amount.
Second, allow those seniors who are fighting Obama's health care plan to opt out of Medicare (which is "socialized medicine," after all). We could even give middle-aged people who are against the current plan the chance to opt out of their future Medicare benefits now so the savings could be calculated and applied to the new bill. Imagine the money that would be saved. It must be just terrible for them to know they will be forced to accept Medicare because they are against such programs.
They will have to find their own health insurance just like millions of younger Americans and their children do today. As a person who has to do this and deal with premium increases and the threat of being canceled at any time for any reason.
Their conservative grandparents fought FDR's Social Security bill and their conservative parents fought LBJ's Medicare bill with the exact arguments they are using in today's debate. Where would our seniors be today without these two "socialist" programs? Perhaps some of them would like to volunteer to try.
Patt Heise
Palatine