Replying to a message of JIM WELLER to BOB ACKLEY:

 JW> Well if Medicare is underfunded and taxpayers won't pick up
 JW> the tab there just might be a connection.

There will be, and real soon.

 BA>> it refers only to the
 BA>> current problem Medicare is having WRT providers dropping
 BA>> out of the system.

 JW> Because of the lack of payment. See above.

 BA>> Health care and other 'fringe' benefits to employees are
 BA>> holdovers from WW II.  Because of wage and price controls,
 BA>> employers could not offer more money to employees to
 BA>> attract or keep them so they started giving the employees
 BA>> 'fringe benefits' that were not subject to government wage
 BA>> and price controls.

 JW> It's more than that. It's part of a long term world wide
 JW> trend in social programs that started in England with old
 JW> age pensions in 1909.

 BA>> Anybody can juggle statistics to support whatever position
 BA>> they hold, this is especially true for organizations that
 BA>> have agendas - such as any  government agency or the WHO -
 BA>> and it's why I don't pay much, if  any, attention to them. 
 BA>> In point of fact the US government has been 'cooking the
 BA>> books' on the statistics it provides on its various web
 BA>> sites for years. 

 JW> So what you are saying then is the other 29 of the world's
 JW> 30 wealthiest nations:

 JW> -1- have lousy programs that aren't as good or as cheap as
 JW> they appear

I don't know how good or bad any of them are, and I don't think any of
them are as cheap as they claim to be.  AFAIK the health systems of
most westernized countries are adequate.

 JW> -2- are spending more money on health care that they admit
 JW> to

Undoubtedly.

 JW> -2- are engaging in a gigantic co-ordinated cover-up to make
 JW> themselves look good

Most likely.

 JW> And that the American system is better, except for the
 JW> Medicare part, even though your doctors charge more, your
 JW> drugs are more expensive and 15% of you have to pay cash
 JW> for everyting and then declare bankrupcy in droves if they
 JW> get seriously ill?

Our drugs are more expensive because countries such as Canada don't
allow the drug companies to recover their costs - and the US customers
pay tose costs for the people of those countries.

And BTW most of the discussions about the cost of health care are 
really about the price of it.  There is a difference between prices and
costs.  Governments can control prices, it is very difficult for governments
to control costs.

The US system is by no means perfect; there are a number of ways to
improve the it, and none of them involve a government takeover as
proposed by our criminal congress.

 JW> Oh yeah, and on top of it all, your government lies too.

All governments do that.

 JW> How do you know the "the US government has been 'cooking the
 JW> books' on the statistics it provides"? Who has the real
 JW> figures and how do we know we can trust them?

One example.  The US government claims there was no inflation in the
US in 2009.  The price of dry dog food alone went from $11.50/bag in
January to $17.00/bag by October.  While the cost of fuel is lower than
it has been in past years, I paid $1.90/gallon for heating oil in February
and $2.49/gallon for the same stuff in December.  I don't get nearly as
much for my money at the grocery store than I used to.  But inflation is
zero, just ask the government (which didn't want to have to give its 
employees and beneficiaries cost of living increases in 2010, that's the
real reason for the claim).

The unemployment numbers are cooked, too.  Among other reasons they
ignore people who have given up and are no longer looking for jobs.

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