Reforming Medicare

The idea behind a “grand bargain” to get the federal budget deficit under control is a simple one: Republicans agree to tax increases, and Democrats agree to spending cuts.

Yet a budget agreement could be a trap for Republicans, just as similar budget deals have been in the past.
There are two problems. First, the tax increases would hit immediately, while the spending cuts would be mainly in the future. That means future Congresses would have an opportunity to renege on the agreement before any serious spending reduction took place. Second, all the serious spending increases foreseen for future years are on health care, and health-care spending cannot be curtailed unless there is fundamental reform. Since the Democrats have signaled they won’t agree to fundamental reform, that means no deal that can be agreed to will be workable — unless even Democrats come to understand that health-care reform is in everybody’s interest.

Read more: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/334326/reforming-medicare-john-c-goodman