Seniors On The Roller Coaster
by digby
Brian Beutler reports:

One of the fun little tidbits in the Republican Budget roll out today is here:

The substitute gradually converts the current Medicare program into one in which Medicare beneficiaries choose the most affordable coverage that best suits their individual needs. For individuals 55 or older, Medicare will not be changed (other than income-relating the prescription drug benefit): the budget preserves the existing program for these beneficiaries. To make the program sustainable and dependable, those 54 and younger will enroll in a new Medicare Program with health coverage similar to what is now available to Members of Congress and Federal employees.

This is an idea that’s been kicking around in conservative circles for some time, and it’s an expensive one. Well, it’s expensive unless you’re an insurance company, in which case it’s extremely lucrative.

Because the one thing that’s really missing from the lives of older Americans is haggling with insurance companies. It’ll keep ’em from “overusing” the system. Of course, they’ll be dead.

In case anyone’s still uninformed about just what kind of fun sick people have in this country when they deal with insurance companies, watch last night’s Frontline called “Sick Around America.”

The answer to the problem is to get any shit job that provides insurance, no matter what it is, and then prostitute yourself as long as possible to keep it. If the company goes under in the recession, or your boss walks in one morning and decides she hates you, you’re just out of luck. It’s kind of like a thrill ride. Without a net.