(Friday’s Populist Capitalist Blog Post)
“I will not sign a plan that adds one dime to our deficits — either now or in the future. Period.”
It is with this “break even” pledge that President Obama is attempting to get universal health care enacted. I have no doubt as to the President’s good intentions. I have deep doubts as to whether the anticipated savings with which he intends to fund much of the universal coverage will ever materialize.
The cost of Medicare should give us pause: it doubled every four years between 1966 and 1980 and in 2007 reached $440 billion, or 16% of all federal spending, up from $256.8 billion in 2002.*
I sincerely hope that the President is right about potential savings in health care, I did vote for him after all. However, I would much rather he FIRST demonstrate that savings truly exist by enacting health care cost reform in his first administration. Once the savings are proved, enacting universal coverage should be a snap during his second administration.
I guess I’m an honorary citizen of Missouri, the “show me” state. I want to see the evidence. That, and my parents raised me not to count my chickens before they hatch.
*Source: wikipedia