Time for a New Car
Most people agree when the cost of maintaining your old car is more than a new car payment, it's time to retire the old car.
I argue the same is true of governmental policies as well.
With Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security fraud reaching roughly 40% (give or take a few percent depending on sources), it would seem an obvious solution to redesign these programs. Further, since Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and Homeland Security account for about 60% of our national budget, such a move would save U.S. taxpayers about 3.36 trillion dollars a year.
What would the new system look like you ask?
Well, just a few examples might include:
--smokers would not be given government paid medical benefits--new cars don't even come with cigarette lighters or ashtrays anymore.
--Social Security disability would be extended to only those who really can't work.
--people who are receiving unemployment will be required to work for the government to "earn" their unemployment benefits...During the great depression, people swept streets to get their check. Such work should be required today. And don't forget the mandatory, random drug testing.
Plain & Simple: It's time to retire the plush old Cadillac government programs folks have been cruising in and replace them with programs more in line with a "smarter" more economical vehicle. These programs may be here to stay, but it's time to redesign the programs so they don't cost so much to maintain.
I argue the same is true of governmental policies as well.
With Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security fraud reaching roughly 40% (give or take a few percent depending on sources), it would seem an obvious solution to redesign these programs. Further, since Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security and Homeland Security account for about 60% of our national budget, such a move would save U.S. taxpayers about 3.36 trillion dollars a year.
What would the new system look like you ask?
Well, just a few examples might include:
--smokers would not be given government paid medical benefits--new cars don't even come with cigarette lighters or ashtrays anymore.
--Social Security disability would be extended to only those who really can't work.
--people who are receiving unemployment will be required to work for the government to "earn" their unemployment benefits...During the great depression, people swept streets to get their check. Such work should be required today. And don't forget the mandatory, random drug testing.
Plain & Simple: It's time to retire the plush old Cadillac government programs folks have been cruising in and replace them with programs more in line with a "smarter" more economical vehicle. These programs may be here to stay, but it's time to redesign the programs so they don't cost so much to maintain.
40%?!?! Medicare alone is a 300 billion dollar a year program. That means that if that percentage were true, 120 BILLION a year in fraud in Medicare by itself! In 2008 the OMB measured fraud at 4% in Medicare. I seriously doubt that fraud increased 100% in the interviening 3 years.
Second point, so we exclued smokers, do we just stop treating lung cancer? Are we the nation that lets people die untreated so that Exxon's corporate earnings continue their meteroric rise unchecked?
Third, Social security for those who "really can't work? Isn't that already the rule?
Fourth, didn't Dickens write about public work houses? Will debtor's prison be far behind? Besides, if they are out sweeping the streets when do they look for work?
I think that the search for all this waste is just a way to distract people while vital government services are cut back or killed off entirely. If the Tea Party folks are right and people really don't want goverment services, then they are gold. But when grandpa comes to live with them because they have killed off Social Security and Medicare, I doubt they will still be rejoycing over record Wall Street bonuses.
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Wow, there's a lot to address here:
First an admission: the amount of saving to US taxpayers would be closer to $1.5 trillion annually, not the $3.36 trillion I originally stated in the article--I had to divide one more time.
Going down the list:
--- 40% easily! There is a loss of $60 billion a year in ghost claims. Using your calculations, this alone would put fraud at 20% which rather blows the OMB figure out of the water. And this is only one form of abuse!
The OMB lost it's credibility back in the 60s and is largely recognized as a means to push the sitting president's agenda. So a president who wants to increase socialized health care will have the OMB put together low abuse numbers.
--- Next, what do Exxon's corporate earnings have to do with funding health care? Are you suggesting we take more money from the private sector and put it toward social programs? Not a very constitutional idea. I can understand a concern about profits realized by hospital or health insurance companies--but big oil?
In answer to the question: I expect people to quit smoking if they are going to be on the government dollar. If they quit the amount of money required for their long term health care would plummet.
--- Disability for those who "really can't work" is the idea. But that's not how it works! This deserves it's own blog entry--stay tuned.
--- Finally: regarding Dickens--I'm suggesting that people who get an unemployment "check" should work for a government entity--perhaps parks and sanitation--to earn the money they are getting. I do not suggest ending the benefit, but believe they can clean parks, streets, schools etc to "earn" the money from the government. (Hand ups, not hand outs!)
You are either playing the devil's advocate or you have little idea how those on unemployment "look" for work. They are required to place 3 (count them) phone calls a week to "potential employers." How much time do you think that takes per week? I forget the percentage, but I believe it was about 80% of all those on unemployment magically find work about 2 weeks before their benefits run out.
Let us not forget, in order to get a job, one needs a current resume. Sitting at home for up to 3 years is not what I call a resume builder. My plan however, accomplishes just that task.
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