[Jack]

I hate to throw water on your post but have you actually read even the high points of this proposed legislation? To think the Federal government will pay for disc replacement for all who want it is a pipe dream. Generally the payers of even Medicare for such procedures as this are with the supplemental insurance that Medicare recipients pay for through the private sector.

Who do you think will pay for this? Under our current plan, if a Medicare person is poor, for example and is over 65 years of age and qualifies for Medicare and Medicaid, they end up on Medicaid and paid for by the states that pick up most of the tab for Medicaid. Can California or New York states pay for this?

Eighty percent of all healthcare costs in the USA that require some type of healthcare are related to lifestyle to a certain extent such as overweight, sedentary lifestyle, drinks, smokes, etc. If an overweight person wants knee replacement should the get a new knee or a diet and pain meds (narcotics). Which do you think the Fed is going to push for in a condition that requires TDR, narcotics or a new disc? To think the government can dictate Medicaid rates for re-imbursement is a pipe dream.

Just look at the scam politics on costs. Taxes for the "first ten years" but they will only be paying for the last seven. Those ten trillion dollars only pays for 7 years. Think about the next ten years. If you take all the money for the top 5% of tax payers, who pay for most all the taxes, there would still not be enough money.

What program has the Fed undertook that actually cost less? I don’t know of any.

I could go on but knowledge is key. We all need to discuss this openly, like Obama said during his campaign. He said all this behind closed door stuff like that is going on now, would not be done. He said it would all be on C-Span so we could see all the wheelin and dealin like offering 100 million to the state of Louisiana if the senator from there would change her vote.