Many of the Obama postings have complained about the lack of substantive discussions.
In light of this objective, I have a question about his proposed medicare approaches.
The charts from David Walker, the former head of GAO, clearly show a medicare funding shortfall in the very near future. Rather than read the entire presentation, you can just take a look at Pg 3 to see a snapshot of how significant the problem rapidly becomes:
http://www.centrists.org/pages/2005/01/social_security_event/dave_walker_presentation.pdf (broken link)
He further explained his sentiments in an interview with Steve Kroft on 60 Minutes:
Walker says you could eliminate all waste and fraud and the entire Pentagon budget and the long-range financial problem still wouldn't go away, in what's shaping up as an actuarial nightmare.
Part of the problem, Walker acknowledges, is that there won't be enough wage earners to support the benefits of the baby boomers. "But the real problem, Steve, is health care costs. Our health care problem is much more significant than Social Security," he says.
Asked what he means by that, Walker tells Kroft, "By that I mean that the Medicare problem is five times greater than the Social Security problem."
The following is Obama's comments on medicare, from his own website:
Medicare
Some 42 million American seniors are served by Medicare, including 1.7 million in Illinois. Medicare is a promise we have made to our seniors, and along with Social Security, it is essential to a dignified and financially sound retirement. Cuts to Medicare will seriously harm those who have worked all their lives, paid into the system, and need medical care.
Senator Obama is concerned about the Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program and its effect on our nation's elderly and disabled. In particular, he is concerned about the difficulty encountered when enrolling and choosing among a large number of plans (more than 40 in Illinois); the restrictions on changing plan selection after enrollment; the prohibition against negotiating for the best drug price or discounts, and the high costs of the program for seniors.
Senator Obama is a cosponsor of the Medicare Informed Choice Act, which would have extended enrollment without penalty and allowed for a one-time plan change during the first year of the plan.
Health Care | U.S. Senator Barack Obama
In light of our current deficit, how does Obama plan on closing the looming medicare funding shortfall?
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