Health Care Landmark Projected

A projection reported this week suggests a landmark development with respect to health care policy and the environment for delivering health care services.

The AP reported several days ago that, by the year 2012, federal and state government will pay for more than half the nation's health care costs.  As recently as this past summer, the percentage of the nation's health care bills paid by government was 46%.  This is projected to edge above 50% presumably because more people are on the Medicaid rolls due to the recession and the stimulus bill; and also because of expanded eligibility for the SCHIP's program.

What the Democrats may not necessarily achieve in one fell swoop with "health care reform", they continue to achieve via incrementalism-- which has been their long-term strategy. 

I wonder whether the system has edged past the point of no return.  It remains politically radioactive to repeal these types of programs, notwithstanding anything the Tea Parties or the independents may do or say.  And folks tend to get hooked on their charity programs, no matter how dishonorable it may be to do so. 

Comments

[Stormy]

Progressives are very patient people. They are willing to win incrementally. Radicals want societal change by revolution. Progressives want change through fundamental transformation of society.

[Brenda Bowers]

You forgot to mention Medicare and the baby boomers bang coming around the corner. BB

[Jim Caserta]

When did we get the expansion of the Medicare prescription drug bill? Whose arguments against health care reform included a 'no change under any circumstances to Medicare' tactic? Demographic shifts without any changes to Medicare would have brought > 50% of payments from gov't programs eventually.

Tea Partiers also like the mantra of 'keep your gov't off my Medicare'.

[Joe Guarino]

Stormy, that is what Obama was talking about when he was calling for "change". He falls under the radical banner, because he wanted to do it quickly.

You are right, Brenda. Those numbers are going up even further.