This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.

Going Geriatricidal

Bruce Krasting's picture




 

 

Naked Capitalism featured a piece today by Matt Stoller (Link). The not so surprising conclusion by Matt was that moving the age for Medicare availability from 65 to 67 will actually cost some lives. The article concludes that the two-year change in federal medical coverage will result in 1,261 additional deaths each year.

 

I’m reading this, thinking, “Hey, that’s not so bad!” Matt saw it differently:

 

Or we could leave things as they are, with a Medicare age at 65, and no extra seniors need die.

 
I'm not sure that Stoller is right about this. I wish he were, but the numbers say he's wrong. The fact is, hard choice have to be made, and yes, people will die as a result. The article fails to analyze the benefits of moving the Medicare puzzle around. Fortunately, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) answered this question back in January (Link). The conclusion:

 

CBO estimates that raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 would reduce federal Medicare outlays, net of premiums and other offsetting receipts, by $148 billion from 2012 through 2021.

 

Take the two estimates together, total Early Exiters (EEs) over ten years = 12,610. This means the overall savings comes to a very tidy $11.7m per EE. A big bang for the buck, so to speak.

 

When Congress raises the age limit for Medicare (this will happen in 2013) it will be the first step on what will prove to be a very slippery slope. There has been much talk about a dreaded "Death Panel" that will decide who "Wins" and who "Loses". Changing Medicare age availability is a Death Panel decision. It's interesting/fitting that a majority of Congress and the President will kick the process off.

The CBO should do some more studies on potential savings. Sort of roll up their sleeves and have a look, as it were. I wonder what the savings might be if some new "rules" were adopted. On the list might be:

 

-No new knees or hips after age 85.

-No open heart surgery for men over 82. (Forget about that triple bi-pass that will keep you around another five years.) Women would be eligible up to 85. (Think of the pissing match that would cause)

-A diagnosis of late stage Alzheimer's gets one on a fast track to "Hospice Care". (No meds, palliative only. Door to door, so to speak, averages three weeks)

 

This subject will be on the front page for the next year while the Medicare "fix" is tossed around. After that, it will come up regularly when other ways to "save" a few bil. are found. I figure someone has to make some black humor from this, I might as well start now. Before you toss a brick my way, consider that I'm 62 and in four years, I will be a real player on this stage. Who knows? I might even become an EE'er. This joke is on me.

 

 

- advertisements -

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Thu, 12/13/2012 - 21:38 | 3061517 Freddie
Freddie's picture

Somebody has to pay for those "free" ObamaPhones.  It might as well be granny.

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 20:39 | 3061345 Debt-Is-Not-Money
Debt-Is-Not-Money's picture

Euthenasia!

 

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 21:04 | 3061429 The Alarmist
The Alarmist's picture

What's all this talk I hear about Youth in Asia???

Sat, 12/15/2012 - 10:31 | 3066141 Bob Sacamano
Bob Sacamano's picture

Or Violins on TV??

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 21:11 | 3061447 akak
akak's picture

Don't say that too loudly --- you're going to get Bawney Fwank all excited!

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 20:11 | 3061282 Almost Solvent
Almost Solvent's picture

Or missing a left arm instead of a hip replacement.

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 20:24 | 3061308 Translational Lift
Translational Lift's picture

Make that a left kidney...........

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 21:03 | 3061424 The Alarmist
The Alarmist's picture

I'm always amused at articles that suggest "X numbers of deaths will be prevented" ... as the tag line on this site says, the long-range survival rate for everyone drops to zero.

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 21:34 | 3061509 Pure Evil
Pure Evil's picture

But, but, but........Obama phones for everyone!

Yeeeeeaaaaaaahhhhhh!

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 22:35 | 3061696 boogerbently
boogerbently's picture

Hey Bruce,

If we allow the really sick, really old people to die, we could afford to pay me my Soc. Sec......deal???

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 22:35 | 3061699 boogerbently
boogerbently's picture

And above all, NO ONE collects benefits that hasn't paid into them!!!

Sat, 12/15/2012 - 10:30 | 3066140 Bob Sacamano
Bob Sacamano's picture

Agreed.  And nearly all current retirees have not sufficiently paid in enough to cover their own benefits.  Cut benefits to all.  Raise the age for collecting benefits.  The system was never designed nor funded for this level of benefits. 

Thu, 12/13/2012 - 22:32 | 3061688 boogerbently
boogerbently's picture

Exactly!

As much as I think BK is a TOTALLY selfish, shortsighted moron. (for HATING all things "retiree") I have NO problem with his age cut-offs for the surgeries mentioned. In fact, the ages could be cut even shorter unless one could prove how it would interfere with their skateboarding or skiing.

But, there are other MORE self defeating and wasted expenditures. Like all things WELFARE (and SNAP/Unemployment/Disability FRAUD). There should NEVER be "heroic" measures on terminally incapacitated people. A heartbeat doeas NOT make a life. Why are the people so in favor of abortion so opposed to geriatricide?

Fri, 12/14/2012 - 00:31 | 3061907 jballz
jballz's picture

 

Also we should bring back leper colonies for young people who get sick too much.

I don't want to be accused of discrimination.

Fri, 12/14/2012 - 00:22 | 3061906 jballz
jballz's picture

 

I am in favor of abortions and geriatricide. I think abortion should be a choice though. Forced abortions are wrong for the most part, unless both parents are imbeciles and there's no adoption demand. 

But the old folks, put a bounty on them. There was a movie about that wasn't there? Logan's Run?

This couontry has a doctor bubble. There is absolutely no reason healthcare expense should keep rising when the cost of all tech drops through the floor. Kill medicare, kill all government programs for 5 years and let the doctors compete for the business that remains. Harsh medicine maybe but watch the prices plummet and then we can revisit the debate when healthcare is actually affordable on the merits of an actual free market.

Barring that, kill the old fuckers and be done with it.

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!