Hamar

It does work both ways. It is just too bad everyone has their "side" causing the both ways to become one way for each individual.

I do have questions about what they are proposing because it seems like they are just throwing crap together as they go. But, I also was amazed when Pelosi told the American people that they would find out what was in the Obama plan when it became law. I just can't believe that even people on the far left were ok with that, but I guess I was wrong.

RI Patriots fan

The bottom line is that there have to be cuts/rationing with Medicare....no other way around it.
Both parties know it and both want to deal with it differently.


The reality is that we spend about 1/3 of all healthcare dollars on the last year of life. That is ridiculous.
The average life expectancy in the USA is 78 years old. So we spend 33% of all healthcare dollars on 1.28% of our lives in what many would consider the least "life quality" year of our lives....does that make sense to you?

So when the Dems try to bring up end of life counseling, the Republicans call them "death panels" and when the Republicans try to cut medicare services to balance the budget, Dems show Paul Ryan tossing Grandma off a cliff.

If you have socialized medicine (and that's what medicare is) you can't give everything to everyone. There has to be limits (every socialized system has them) and IMO it has to start with end of life. It's not popular and no candidate would have the guts to advocate it but it needs to be dealt with.


End-of-life care costs continue to climb upward | Reuters

World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance - Google Public Data Explorer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnE83A1Z4U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfeuoiNlj-U

PatriotsReign

You're aw-ight PFiVA....the kind of "intellectuals" people don't like are the ones who think of themselves as "Intellectuals". The worst kind are those who could never attain intellectual status, yet speak/write as if they're TRYING to be one.

You're not either one of those dopes.

True intellectuals wouldn't visit this board for obvious reasons....

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PatriotsReign

Depressing & dark topic...but excellent post.

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"No one walking this earth knows what is truly righteous"

PatsFanInVa

Cuz they're in bars schooling guys who are plagiarizing whatever historian they most recently read?



I'd submit that you'd like to think that about a "true intellectual," whatever that is.

But that's sort of silly... what is your definition? (i.e., must he have a "born" proclivity, like the Damon character...? Can he be the guy that pony-tail guy is trying to be, someone with full command of a field, and perhaps later in life, his own specific contribution? Must he be accomplished in his field, or can he be what Damon could have been, a guy who decides that's not for him, and lives out his life sneaking into the Patriots games...?)

Why assume it's impossible to meet a "true" intellectual in any given walk of life?

I've observed that one hardly ever hears the word "intellectual" without a tone of voice implying "or so he thinks," unless the word is preceded by the prefix "psuedo-". All this from those who would deny to their last breaths that they themselves are intellectuals.

It's too hard. Calling yourself an "intellectual" is like going into a biker bar and declaring yourself a badass. Anybody and everybody instantly wants to take you down a peg, disproving the hypothesis; so it's a bad idea from an ego-gratification standpoint.

However, one has to ask whether it should be such a terrible thing to be an intellectual that we conclude they live "somewhere else," and that everybody we encounter in our "lives" (including our online lives,) is in fact a talentless hack of one variety or another.

Food for thought, if indeed thought itself isn't somehow suspect.

PFnV

PatriotsReign

Relax PFiVA...it's Sunday man.

You're post is exactly why I sometimes use slightly incorrect grammar.

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"No one walking this earth knows what is truly righteous"

RI Patriots fan

Thank you....appreciate the compliment.

Sadly, most Americans don't comprehend the gravitas of the situation and you'll never hear any candidate mention it on the campaign trail.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

How can they? You saw what happened when just the thought of allowing Medicare to pay for a person's private physician to talk to them about what it means to have a living will, didn't you?

Death Panel!!! Death Panel!!! Death Panel!!!

That being said, you make an excellent point - and one that truly needs to be talked about in a non-hysterical, non-judgemental kind of way.

RI Patriots fan

It's both parties....death panels and grandma off the cliff. Anytime one party tries to provide a solution, the other party sees it as an opportunity to make political gains and unfortunately the american electorate can't see past the propaganda (from either side).

DarrylS

One of the interesting things is learning about the in's and out's of medicare and how it all works.. until last May had a regular insurance plan, then had to change. Now am dealing with the labyrinth of part C, coverage for prescriptions..

Initially went to a local CVS, however realized that I could save at least a 1/3 if I went mail order.. which I did, but it was a difficult transition as was dealing with some medicare illiterate people on the west coast.. after many phone calls and emails, finally got to a supervisor who had my meds shipped out overnight...

One of my meds costs over $700.00 per month and when I hit the "donut hole", will have to talk to my doctor about continuing it.. as paying about $650.00 per month, which will not work.

It is a completely different system than what I am used to, and this change sucks.. otoh, every time I have dealt with Social Security have found the service fast, efficient and very friendly.. probably the friendliest government system that I have ever dealt with.

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