Why unrealistic? Medicare works just fine.?

If I have been American when my daughter was born (2 months early), I would have lost my house, and everything I owned. $250,000 at least, and that is a conservative estimate.

However, I live in Canada. My only costs were a couple of meals in the hospital cafeteria (which were tasty, and reasonable). Of course, I did not have to do them. I would have also needed to pay for parking on visits if I wanted to park very close.

That's it. The US medical system is completely messed up, from a Canadian perspective. I think it is very sad, when people there profit from another's illness or tragedy. Medicine should be a service, not a business.

They say it is unrealistic to cover everyone with Medicare, especially when baby boomers begin to go on Medicare at age 65 in 2011. For years Congress has appropriated Medicare funds for other projects and now they cannot fund it. Doctors don't think Medicare reimburses them enough right now, so they depend on private patients for income. It would be great if we all had it so we could choose our own plan and doctors from the choices they give you. The program works administratively but costs too much.

Medicare has problems. Absolutely. But is it going to make things better by making insurance a MANDATORY REQUIREMENT? Or will that make things more difficult for the families?

Yes, I feel that the US medical situation is in crisis. For everyone, not just retired people. I read a statistic that directly links education with longevity. Now, how wrong is that? The US is a great country and every man, woman and child should have access to excellent medical care and affordable medication.

But is mandatory insurance the answer? I don't think so.

I don't know what you're asking about with the "unrealistic" part, but for me medicare is broken.

I am "triaging" my medications because I can no longer afford them (the $4000 gap). So far I have had to drop my bone density medication, and a medication I used to control my asthma.

If you can afford supplemental medicare insurance, or if you are entitled to coupons, then maybe "no" medicare isn't broken.

But for many of us caught in the middle, it's just another bump on the path to bankruptcy.

Medicare works fine as long as you can afford supplement insurance to cover the high cost of prescriptions and specialized care. How many times have we read about older people with deadly diseases that can't get the surgery or medicine they need because the live on Social Security and Medicare.

You are a productive member of society for your entire life and then need to worry about affording a doctors visit and medicine. Doesn't make sense in the most progressive country in the world.

Aside from the fact that it is almost out of money and fewer and fewer doctors accept it as payment I suppose nothing.

Incidentally, if "health care reform" is passed, it will be used as a way to pay for it, meaning less and less reimbursement for medicare insurance.

This is why seniors are so concerned about it.

I think it may run out of money

what is your question?