Taming the Medicaid Monster

[RedEarth]

Taming the Medicaid Monster
by Robert Kuttner

At dinner, two sets of parents of college seniors are discussing their dreams for their soon-to-be newly minted graduates. Doctor? Lawyer? Scientist? Entrepreneur?

''I just hope she gets a job with health insurance," says one mom, breaking the spell. ''The insurance cuts off the day they graduate." A dad chimes in: ''COBRA coverage costs over $400 a month." (COBRA is an acronym for a consolidated budget act that allows you to keep your coverage by paying the premium costs out of pocket. It is well named.)

In a country with a rational system of health insurance, your coverage would not be subject to the quirks of when you graduated college, where you worked, or whether you had been sick earlier in your life. But the American system is a patchwork mess of coverage, noncoverage, and inadequate coverage, slightly tempered by well-intentioned efforts to fill in the cracks, which only add to the fragmentation and cost.

Meanwhile, President Bush's budget proposes to cut some $45 billion out of Medicaid funding over 10 years. The Massachusetts share of the loss would be $1.26 billion.

Medicaid is becoming the monster that's devouring the rest of state budgets. In recent years, Medicaid costs have been rising at between 9 and 12 percent while state budgets are just about keeping pace with inflation.


http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views05/0216-30.htm

[many a good man]

1. But Medicaid has to fill in the doughnut hole of the Rx Drug plan!

Don't shoot MedicAid, put aggressive cost controls on health providers. Rising health care costs are going to cause an economic train wreck sooner than anybody thinks. ITS THE #1 PROBLEM facing the country! (except for the possibility of WWIII breaking out in the ME)

[whistle]

2. Greenspan said that Social Security shortfall is $10 trillion by...

...2075, but medicare/medicaid will be $70 trillion by 2075. No wonder the neo-cons want their share now by lowering even more taxes.