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United States Government Entitlement Programs:
529 or Coverdell
Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
Hope or Lifetime Learning Tax Credit
Student Loans
Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
Earned Income Tax Credit
Social Security--Retirement & Survivors
Pell Grants
Unemployment Insurance
Veterans Benefits
G.I. Bill
Medicare
Head Start
Social Security Disability
SSI--Supplemental Security Income
Medicaid
Welfare/Public Assistance
Government Subsidized Housing
Food Stamps
This is one of the fundamental reasons that I can deal with libertarians versus conservatives. Libertarians are usually up front about their intentions. Their ultimate goal is to destroy SS and Medicare because they don't believe in them. Conservatives, the cowardly pusses that they are, pretend that they want to "save" SS and Medicare, though they don't really believe in these programs.
I don't think "belief" is an accurate assessment of the "Tax and Bribe" system currently in place.
As the recipient class grows, it votes in politicians who will continue to enlarge their class.
There is a limit to this madness.
And I think we're passed it, and collapse will surely follow.
You can't penalize the producers and reward the non-producers and prosper.
I guess you think that Social Security and Medicare are both entitlements. The only people I hear calling them that are always leaners. I have been paying into Social Security for about 68 years and most people who get entitlements have never paid a penny to get them. I have paid on Medicare for all 47 years of its existence so don't consider that an entitlement, either. Now Medicaid that is extended to people who haven't paid any kind of taxes sure as hell is an entitlement.
I think it is past time for you of the left to find out what entitlement really means.
There is no way that the funds a senior paid into Medicare cover the medical expenses of said senior, unless they happen to die early. It is amazing and sickening how much money goes into keeping people alive well beyond their time.
This is one of the fundamental reasons that I can deal with libertarians versus conservatives. Libertarians are usually up front about their intentions. Their ultimate goal is to destroy SS and Medicare because they don't believe in them. Conservatives, the cowardly pusses that they are, pretend that they want to "save" SS and Medicare, though they don't really believe in these programs.
True. It seems Republicans want to save SS from those who paid for it. Another words you pay the premium but forget about ever receiving a benefit. This is pretty much the business model of health insurance also. If these programs are destroyed so it will be for those who destroyed it.
It is certainly an entitlement when you get more than you paid in. Can you say with certainty that you won't recieve more benefits than you paid for? Heck one surgery would probably wipe out everything you ever put into to system for Medicare.
As for your 47 years, when did you pay for Medicare part D ?
I don't agree with Libertarians on everything, but at least they are consistent. You big government Republicans crack me up.
Obviously those who paid in for over 40 years and had good incomes are not going to get what they could have gotten from a private retirement plan. They will not get anything close to what they should have gotten.
The worst of the 3 programs is obviously Medicaid -- there are no limits of any kind on that one. At least with Social Security and Medicare, the programs are limited to those who worked for a living and were taxed heavily for those programs.
Anyone can get on Medicaid and disability and other welfare handouts. You never had to work, never had to pay a single tax and you're in. You don't even have to be here in this country legally -- sneak on in, have babies you can't afford and all their births and pediatric care is paid by Medicaid and the babies qualify you for all kinds of government handouts -- unlimited numbers can come and do this --- which is one reason there are big fiscal problems for us. Along with them, many American citizens jump onto the welfare handouts simply by giving birth when they cannot support their children.
And while the retirees are kept further limited --- they simply raise the retirement age to shrink the pool of social security recipients, the welfare programs are fast increasing in numbers because instead of limiting disabilities, many more disabilities are added so that even headaches can get you a welfare check and food stamps -- not just alcoholism and drug addiction any more, there are MANY new disabilities that greatly add to the pool of recipients.
In fact the USA has more people on welfare than many countries have total people, and iit's so bad now, our welfare population is higher than the population of many nations combined.
That is not always true about Medicaid. Some people do abuse the process, but there is a great need for Medicaid for certain people.
When my mother became severely disabled with Alzheimer's and other health issues we tried to get her into a nursing home. There was no way that I could take care of her. Even if I had the money I don't have the physical or emotional ability to care for someone with such issues. She needed 24/7 care, and I had to work. Alzheimer's is a truly terrible disease. She was attacking people. It is heartbreaking, and her sister is also currently suffering from Alzheimer's, and one of their cousins started suffering from it in her 40s! We have very few relatives in this country, and I am an only child, and my father is long dead. It was up to me to figure out how to care for her. We were living in a rat-filled apartment that was much too expensive to live in. I knew that we needed to get out, and that she needed help! I was on the verge of a breakdown! I moved into a cheap one-room apartment with my future husband, and we started the complicated process.
She had social security and Medicare, but Medicare does not pay for nursing home care, and most nursing homes cost over $100,000 a year (this is why most people in nursing homes eventually end up on Medicaid, because their funds eventually run out). She had worked very hard her whole life, sometimes working 3 low-paid jobs at the same time, but had nothing saved and no home to sell. For several months my future husband and I completed all of the paperwork to get her accepted by Medicaid. We went through so much crap to do this, I could write a book. There were people more than willing to have an Alzheimer's patient live in the street!
Finally, she was accepted for both Medicaid and for nursing home care (the state kept trying to give her "assisted living care" but that was not acceptable to me). When we applied to the nursing home she is in now, they were so impressed that we had already completed the process. Of course my mother actually have to live in a homeless shelter while we were undergoing the process. It was all a part of getting her "in the system." It was truly horrifying, but the only way.
It is wonderful. She is in a beautiful nursing home five minutes from me with 24/7 care, on a locked floor. Every month her social security pays for a very small portion of her care (she gets about $1200 a month in Social Security), and Medicaid pays the rest (the home costs over $100,000 a year). She gets all of her medicine through Medicaid and PAAD (drug prescription plan in NJ) and great care! Every month some money is put into her "account" at the nursing home which pays for her haircuts and new clothes. She is now wheelchair bound and deep into Alzheimer's (she doesn't know who I am anymore ), but at least she gets GREAT care!
This is just another example of wasted money. Our tax dollars are paying the $98,000 a year difference so your mother can sit in a wheelchair like a vegetable? I realize you care for your mother, but multiply her situation thousands of times over and you have to realize something is definitely wrong with this picture!
There is no way that the funds a senior paid into Medicare cover the medical expenses of said senior, unless they happen to die early. It is amazing and sickening how much money goes into keeping people alive well beyond their time.
There is no way that the funds a single mother paid into Medicaid cover her medical expenses, nor all those millions of Medicaid babies being born. No way did the food stamp crowd ever pay into the food stamp program -- yet you don't complain about them.
And Section 8 recipients never had to pay a dime of taxes to qualify. Nor do WIC recipients have to pay into that program ever. They simply have to exist and be incapable of providing for themselves.
That's why the welfare handouts need to go. The pool of recipients keeps reproducing -- unlike the social security retirees who aren't breeding welfare babies like mad.
Imagine if everyone had to work and pay in at least 50 years before getting any kind of check?
Will dumb democrats ever get it through their thick skulls that of the 3 mentioned, only 1 is an entitlement?
Perhaps the OP would like to pay my monthly Medicare premium. No? Didn't think so.
Your medicare premium is chicken feed compared to the private sector. And spare me the Advantage plan-Supplemental premium bs. Those companies that participate are regulated and are not allowed to ********* over like the other health care insurance products sold to the public. So, congrats!
The American public is very hypocritical with entitlement programs. Some (tea party members for example) are against entitlements but when directly asked about medicare, 70% oppose medicare cuts.
It's like ok, lets cut entitlements like food stamps, student loan programs, etc. But than the tea party people quickly realize, "oh wait, crap, if we don't have medicare, we are screwed and will face jacked up health care premiums ourselves...please don't cut medicare".
It's this type of hypocrisy that drives me crazy. I am a fiscal conservative Republican. There needs to be a balancing act what to cut and what to keep.
Sadly, the truth (since I am a healthcare provider) is it's very easy to cut medicare spending. The public won't like it. It's called rationing of healthcare dollars.
Nationalize Health care systems do it all the time. It's a dirty little secret. But at the end of the day, do countries spend hundreds of thousands of people alive for a few months? Or do they ration it.
Remember the case of the ambulance chasing lawyer back in 2007? He was stuck in Italy with multi resistance TB. Remember Italy has a national health system. If we are to believe reports, the US health system sucks (it's like way down in the 30s in terms of health systems of 1st world countries).
Why on earth would this lawyer "escape" Italy to "sneak" back in the the US via the Canada border?
It's simple. National health systems will ration care to save money. The TB inflicted lawyer knew that. He didn't want to die in Italy cause they would with hold care.
That's how we save Medicare dollars. Ration care, especially near end of life when prolonging life may end up costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But as I said, the American public "wants to cut healthcare cost". But they don't want their health care dollars being rationed on themselves.
We just can't have it both ways.
No matter how "efficient" a system is (prevent fraud, overbilling, unnecessary procedures etc).. Remember the government has cut medicare fraud from about 10% down to 3% in the past 15 years. There's not much more fraud cutting that can be done. the end of the day, it's do we prolong life or not. And at what cost?
There is no way that the funds a single mother paid into Medicaid cover her medical expenses, nor all those millions of Medicaid babies being born. No way did the food stamp crowd ever pay into the food stamp program -- yet you don't complain about them.
And Section 8 recipients never had to pay a dime of taxes to qualify. Nor do WIC recipients have to pay into that program ever. They simply have to exist and be incapable of providing for themselves.
That's why the welfare handouts need to go. The pool of recipients keeps reproducing -- unlike the social security retirees who aren't breeding welfare babies like mad.
Imagine if everyone had to work and pay in at least 50 years before getting any kind of check?
I agree 100%.
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), but at least she gets GREAT care!
