This is a proposal to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars into the coffers of HMOs, not protect health care for seniors. The explanation is that the value of the vouchers falls over time, as health care costs rise faster than the value of the coupons. HMOs also have much higher administrative costs, CEO salaries, etc. Their populations are aging faster than ours and yet they have controlled their overall health spending, while ours continues to skyrocket. Rasell also noted that Medicare should cover prescription drugs.
Medication costs are a major burden for seniors.
Medicare could get them at a big discount. It would add millions to the ranks of the uninsured at a time in people's lives when they are starting to face age-related illnesses and unemployment. In the long run, it would just add to health costs as people try to put off pressing health needs until they are insured. Click here for an online version of the report. PNHP was founded in 1987 at Harvard and includes physicians in every specialty and state.