Most of my senior friends are really scared that their Medicare benefits will be cut -- all except my friends who are widows of corporate executives whose companies still have them covered and those who are retired teachers. The teachers happily see no medical bills whatsoever because their former school systems (a.k.a. local tax payers) are still picking up the complete tab. We all know that Medicare, corporate, public employee and union health care benefits are breaking the bank and driving up taxes, debts and deficits farther and farther. The question is: what can we do about it?
Blunt cuts hurt everyone. But many experts believe we can save significant sums by making intelligent choices about how we cut back and manage the care the health system is delivering. For an excellent analysis and set of recommendations on this very topic, read the opinion piece in the New York Times:
By EZEKIEL J. EMANUEL and JEFFREY B. LIEBMAN
Published: August 22, 2011
Smart cuts can be made to Medicare without shortchanging patients.
