WhyTheHeck

Medical costs are not just driven by disease and ill health, but by care seeking propensity.
Ask the question in any commercial health plan population (diseased or not) and you will find similar trends. People with a lower trigger point of when to seek care generate about double the claims compared to those who only seek [...]

The author points out that an enormous chunk of the bailout money, covering >65 retiree health expense, could be saved simply by having retirees go into Medicare HMOs. They eliminate most of the need for “gap” coverage now paid by the automakers. These HMOs are so popular that a million more seniors join voluntarily every year. If someone wants unfettered Medicare instead, that’s their choice which they can pay for, not a taxpayer obligation.