>>>In 2008 enrollment in Medicare was 44 million people.
>>>In 2008 Medicare was budgeted $325 billion.
>>>
>>>That's $7386 per participant.
>>>
>>>Extrapolated to include all 300 million Americans would mean that the 2008 budget requirement would need to be $2.2 trillion.
>>>
>>>Medicare doesn't come close to covering all health costs and this simple calculation doesn't include medicaid nor private supplemental plans which are concurrently used.
>>>
>>>Can someone please explain to me how gullible we citizens are supposed to be to believe that State-sponsored universal coverage will not bankrupt this nation? Mind you our entire 2008 budget was $2.66 trillion with a deficit of $240 billion.
>>
>>I'll bite.
>>
>>Extrapolating Medicare costs to the entire population is misleading because Medicare covers only the oldest (65+) group of Americans who, on average, are much higher consumers of health care. In fact, 27% of Medicare costs are consumed in the final year of life of Medicare patients.
>
>We are at the beginning of the baby boomers entering the later stages of life and due to the profound advances in this country's health care people are living longer than ever. As such, I'd suggest that my estimate is on the low side.
>
>>Total health care expenditures in the US in 2007 was 2.1 trillion. (http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/proj2007.pdf)
>
>OK. So using the rhetorical device of "50 million" uninsured we can assume that the $2.1 trillion is being consumed by 250 million insured people at $8400/person. We can then extrapolate that adding those "50 million" to the system will result in a total cost of
>$2.52 trillion. Not much better.
>
>>The 2 trillion cost for universal health care is not in addition to todays cost. It is a shift from 'premium' to 'tax'.
>
>It is a forced shift from the private sector to State control. IE freedom lost.
>
>>I agree, on our present course healthcare costs are going to bankrupt the country. I'm ready to try something else.
>
>We agree. However, that something else should not take us down the path of historical failures. There are other, better, private sector solutions.

A nice VAT tax would handle the load nicely.