anotherlook

According to records, the population in the United States has grown from between 1 million to 2.5 million each year from 1900 – 1998, with a total population in 1900 of 76 million and in 1998 approximately 270.2 million. In February 2009, the total resident population was estimated at 305 million.

That being said, while everyone is discussing the financial cost of the stimulus package, the financial cost of the health care reform and how these costs are record costs, costs that we have never experienced before, the reality is that we have never had 305 million people to be responsible to before and this is key in recognizing the larger cost of doing business “for the people.”

Per Wikipedia, people under 20 years of age make up over a quarter of the U.S. population at 27.6 percent, people age 65 and over make up one-eighth of the population at 12.6 percent, while the national median age is 36.5 years.

These statistics are important to look at when making a determination on paying back debt and during the 20th century alone, the U.S. population has tripled from what it once was in the beginning of the 20th century.

While news media like MSNBC, with their article entitled, “Distortions rife in health care debate” and CNN with their constant conversations on the health care reform, sponsoring people for and against this particular bill, things can get pretty confusing.

One thread seems to be dominating these discussion and that is the “cost” of this bill; the cost which would, supposedly, be added to the mounting debt of this country. Senator John McCain spoke on “State of the Union” on Sunday. When asked about his take on the recovery of the nation, and would the actions taken be beneficial, he gave Obama the credit for the improvements that have been seen thus far but commented:

“I think it’s pretty clear, if you pump trillions of dollars into the economy, you will see some recovery. But the long-term consequences, I think, are going to be, unfortunately, devastating unless we do something about it.”

He goes on to say that our kids are looking at an over inflated bill they will become responsible for. McCain states that after pumping so much into the economy, people are hesitant to pump another trillion into health care reform without clear ways of shrinking the debt.

McCain kept the conversation going regarding this health reform bill not being a true bipartisan bill, as well. However, at this point in the game, I’m not sure that point is even relevant – it is what it is regardless of who authored the bill, if Republicans get on board now instead of keeping this conversation going, it could still be considered a bipartisan bill.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner said on Sunday that he could not rule out higher taxes to help reign in some of the budget deficits that are occurring. I would say that this goes without saying. This has been the worst recession the United States has encounter in many years. Desperate situations demand desperate measures to rectify them. Therefore, raising taxes is not so much a choice but a requirement under the conditions being experienced.

However, with the number of people in the United States capable of returning to work within the next few years, the amount of taxes being paid by any one individual would be lessened by the population explosion that has taken place in the United States over the last 100 years and with a slight increase in taxes, the deficit could begin to shrink.

Since the focus of health care would move to prevention, taxes on snack food such as potato chips, sweets, soda, sugar and the likes would also lend money to help shrink the deficit. These are foods that aid in obesity as well as diabetes, both preventable, as well, both diabetes and obesity lending to growing concerns over high blood pressure, heart problems and other illnesses that increase health care costs when you look at health care reform.

Payment for the health care bill, according to White House and Democratic lawmakers, could also be achieved through creating a powerful new board to root out waste and abuses in the current government health programs.

Just last week, July 29, 2009, in Miami a successful sting operation was brought to a head when federal authorities arrested more than 30 suspects in a Medicare fraud scheme. This sting was not limited to Miami as people, including some doctors, were arrested in New York, Louisiana, Boston and Houston.

The fraud included, ordering unnecessary, expensive “arthritis kits” for patients that in some cases never received the kits and billing Medicare for thousands of dollars worth of liquid food like Ensure for patients who are unable to eat solid food, but never received the liquid food that was ordered in their names and billing dead patients for services they could not receive.

This is the third bust of this kind since May of this year. The cost of adding more agents to combat the problems of fraud is in the millions of dollars. In the two months the Medicare Fraud Strike Force has been in operation, they have recovered $371 million in false Medicare claims and charged 145 people across the country.

Will these recoveries offset the cost of hiring agents to pursue those involved in health care fraud plus shrink the debt incurred with the health care bill now on the table? Only time will determine that but this is a step in the right direction.

And that’s the way I see it!!!

USMC REAGAN QUOTE Sweatshirt

Trackback URI | Comments RSS