Comments on: Medicare Train Wreck http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:23:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: joe blanco http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419419 joe blanco Sat, 20 Dec 2008 17:26:48 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419419 see gov. etc stats. 70% of M 'care, M' caid are spend on 'last circa six months' and legacy problems like care for people who smoked cigarettes. see gov. etc stats.
70% of M ‘care, M’ caid are spend on ‘last circa six months’ and legacy problems
like care for people who smoked cigarettes.

]]> By: Shelly http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419418 Shelly Thu, 10 Apr 2008 02:33:22 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419418 For those of you who think illegals do not have access to medicaid/medicare. Our government set aside one billion dollars in 2005 for the treatment of illegals to be split among the border states for the care of illegals medical bills. I believe that I read in the recent past that more money has been taken out of medicare for the same reason. You can find this information on google.com under medicare and illegal immigration. You will also find other cost listed there. As for the young lady who questioned medicare costs, I for one have paid for medicare for most of my working life in addition to state, local and federal taxes. One of the sadest days of my life was when I was told that I would no longer have medical insurance from my employer and had to sign up for medicare. This is the worst medical insurance I have had in my lifetime and as I said I have paid into this for most of my working life and it currently cost me $96.00 a month. So when out government sees fit to take funds from the medicare fund for illegals while they cut my benefits and increase my premium this does not bode will with me. For those of you who think illegals do not have access to medicaid/medicare. Our government set
aside one billion dollars in 2005 for the treatment of illegals to be split among the border states for the care of illegals medical bills. I believe that I read in the recent past that more money has been taken out of medicare for the same reason. You can find this information on google.com under medicare and illegal immigration. You will also find other cost listed there. As for the young lady who questioned medicare costs, I for one have paid for medicare for most of my working life in addition to state, local and federal taxes. One of the sadest days of my life was when I was told that I would no longer have medical insurance from my employer and had to sign up for medicare. This is the worst medical insurance I have had in my lifetime and as I said I have paid into this for most of my working life and it currently cost me
$96.00 a month. So when out government sees fit to take funds from the medicare fund for illegals while they cut my benefits and increase my premium this does not bode will with me.

]]> By: Buzzcut http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419417 Buzzcut Tue, 15 May 2007 13:43:20 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419417 No good replies to expanding the death tax to all estates? No good replies to expanding the death tax to all estates?

]]> By: joe http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419416 joe Mon, 14 May 2007 01:53:41 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419416 Good answer :) Perhaps another day? Good answer :)
Perhaps another day?

]]> By: Robin Hanson http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419415 Robin Hanson Mon, 14 May 2007 01:16:43 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419415 Joe, that's too far off topic for comments on this post. Joe, that’s too far off topic for comments on this post.

]]> By: joe http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419414 joe Mon, 14 May 2007 00:20:31 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419414 Robin: "Another way I'd love to help the world's poor is to open U.S. borders to all immigrants." I admire your desire to help everyone, but we couldn't possibly help them all, could we? I cannot imagine the economic consequences of taking on all of the world's poor, can you? Robin:

“Another way I’d love to help the world’s poor is to open U.S. borders to all immigrants.”

I admire your desire to help everyone, but we couldn’t possibly help them all, could we? I cannot imagine the economic consequences of taking on all of the world’s poor, can you?

]]> By: TGGP http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419413 TGGP Sun, 13 May 2007 03:11:34 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419413 joe, you are right that immigrants appear to be <a href="http://econlog.econlib.org/archives/2007/04/taxeaters.html" rel="nofollow">tax-eaters</a>. Robin, the point I was making is that immigrants are only young NOW, unless they are getting killed off pre-maturely (which I think and hope is not the case) they will inevitably come old later. Then medicare will transfer TO them rather than FROM (assuming immigrants are not tax-eaters in their younger years) them. Neglecting the trade-offs that will result in the future is sometimes referred to as "having your cake and eating it too". joe, you are right that immigrants appear to be tax-eaters. Robin, the point I was making is that immigrants are only young NOW, unless they are getting killed off pre-maturely (which I think and hope is not the case) they will inevitably come old later. Then medicare will transfer TO them rather than FROM (assuming immigrants are not tax-eaters in their younger years) them. Neglecting the trade-offs that will result in the future is sometimes referred to as “having your cake and eating it too”.

]]> By: anonymous http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419412 anonymous Sat, 12 May 2007 19:30:55 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419412 Sure, it might be easier right now, but what does happen when they become older? Perhaps this is off-topic since we are restricting ourselves to Medicare here, but what about the Medi-Cal program, California's version of Medicaid, which pays out nearly 1 billion per year in benefits to illegal immigrants in California? What is the net effect of illegal immigration taking ALL factors into consideration? Sure, it might be easier right now, but what does happen when they become older?

Perhaps this is off-topic since we are restricting ourselves to Medicare here, but what about the Medi-Cal program, California’s version of Medicaid, which pays out nearly 1 billion per year in benefits to illegal immigrants in California?

What is the net effect of illegal immigration taking ALL factors into consideration?

]]> By: Robin Hanson http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419411 Robin Hanson Sat, 12 May 2007 11:42:10 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419411 Keith, good point about the income tax being only half of all taxes. Yes the temptation to retire later will rise, but the Medicare benefit will also rise, making people less willing to voluntarily give up such a large benefit. On immigrants, since Medicare is basically a transfer from the young to the old, the fact that immigrants (both legal and illegal) are much younger than others is all that economists need to know to be confident that immigrants make the problem easier, not harder. Keith, good point about the income tax being only half of all taxes. Yes the temptation to retire later will rise, but the Medicare benefit will also rise, making people less willing to voluntarily give up such a large benefit.

On immigrants, since Medicare is basically a transfer from the young to the old, the fact that immigrants (both legal and illegal) are much younger than others is all that economists need to know to be confident that immigrants make the problem easier, not harder.

]]> By: Smell The Glove http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/05/medicare_train_.html#comment-419410 Smell The Glove Sat, 12 May 2007 05:34:39 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2007/05/medicare-train-wreck.html#comment-419410 Urine is poison when ingested. Sad but true. Urine is poison when ingested. Sad but true.

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