let’s kill medicare
In this piece from NPR’s On The Media, Nate Silver (of 538) discusses the framing of the health care reform debate by both sides. It’s worth a listen but not entirely compelling radio (if Bob Garfield or Brooke Gladstone had been there, maybe the story’d be different).
There was, however, an idea towards the end that is worth a good mulling over. See, people over 65 don’t show great support for passing health care reform in the polls. And why? Because they already have great government health care in the form of Medicare. What’s more, it’s no secret that senior citizens turn out for votes, so many of their elected representatives presumably don’t feel as much pressure to pass health care reform as they otherwise would if seniors cared more. So. Why not kill Medicare? If Republicans don’t like government control of health care, let’s get rid of it altogether. And if seniors don’t care about extending their plan to others, let’s take it from them.
This is absurd, of course, but it points out the hypocrisy of the GOP’s position and also illustrates how Medicare is a victim of its own success.
