White Christian America versus Everybody Else

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

You've come up with ONE example and ONE example only, one which is very questionable to say the least, I don't believe it's a true comparison. But none the less, wouldn't you agree that it would take more than one example to disprove my point?

What have you presented to back up your claim? Right, nothing.

[mawilson 2,133]

Does it upset you that you're wrong? Admit you can't present facts and move on. You sound like a broken record.

He's wrong? Do you seriously believe that government agencies are more efficient than private enterprise? Get real.

[Teddy B 17,252]

What have you presented to back up your claim? Right, nothing.

I thought that when you agreed with my premise that gov't is not in the business of making profits, you agreed with my assertion that the private sector is more profitable. But I guess you've since changed your mind. Do you not agree with your post below?

The government is not in the business of making profits. Is that so hard to grasp?

Edited June 22, 2012 by Teddy B

[rocks 494]

He's wrong? Do you seriously believe that government agencies are more efficient than private enterprise? Get real.

So you're also asserting he is right based on no facts?

Stuck record #2.

[mawilson 2,133]

So you're also asserting he is right based on no facts?

If what you said was true, Greece wouldn't need a bailout and the old Soviet Union would have been the economic success story of the 20th century. No private enterprise, all that central government planning... wonderful!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I thought that when you agreed with my premise that gov't is not in the business of making profits, you agreed with my assertion that the private sector is more profitable. But I guess you've since changed your mind. Do you not agree with your post below?

You're confusing efficiency with profitability. There are many non-profits that are very efficient w/o making a dime. Shouldn't be hard to grasp: Efficiency ≠ Profitability.

[rocks 494]

If what you said was true, Greece wouldn't need a bailout and the old Soviet Union would have been the economic success story of the 20th century. No private enterprise, all that central government planning... wonderful!

Did you really just compare the Soviet Union to Medicare?

Neither of these random comments have anything to do with the conversation, stay on track.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

If what you said was true, Greece wouldn't need a bailout and the old Soviet Union would have been the economic success story of the 20th century. No private enterprise, all that central government planning... wonderful!

There's really no argument that private enterprise is generally more efficient than government. But it's not universally true. There are areas where government has been and is doing a more efficient job.

[Teddy B 17,252]

You're confusing efficiency with profitability. There are many non-profits that are very efficient w/o making a dime. Shouldn't be hard to grasp: Efficiency ≠ Profitability.

Like I said, a dog chasing his tail. It's a beautiful Friday, get out from your Mothers basement and enjoy the sunshine. Thanks for playing.

[rocks 494]

Like I said, a dog chasing his tail. It's a beautiful Friday, get out from your Mothers basement and enjoy the sunshine. Thanks for playing.

Why are you talking to yourself?

[james&olya 1,121]

You're dancing around the point, buddy. What was the reason that private Medicare plans were established? To cut cost. What have these private plans actually done? Run cost up. So they failed to deliver on their promise. Taxpayers and medicare beneficiaries pay more today because of these private Medicare plans. It's just that simple.

Now, MA plans are indeed different than traditional Medicare. Many are structured in ways that deter those elderly that have a high risk profile from signing up. They do this by structuring the cost sharing unfavorably to the insured for certain services - like chemo therapies. That way, old folk with cancer are better off under traditional Medicare and the private insurance plans don't have to worry about the high cost of cancer treatments. Since MA plans are paid based on average costs in any given location, it makes perfect sense that they are trying to grab the healthier population and make themselves rather unattractive for the not so healthy. That leaves the high cost patients solely on Medicare and the healthier and less expensive crowd to private insurance. But that's not enough. Medicare pays the MA plans premiums on top of what per patient cost is for traditional Medicare and voila, there's more profit to be made. Doesn't save Medicare a dime, doesn't save the taxpayer a dime, it actually costs those under traditional Medicare extra premiums and the Medicare fund tens of billions of extra dollars but sure, shareholders and executives make out like bandits.

The insurance industry makes no quibbles about this. Faced with cuts in government subsidies as was proposed in the health care reform legislation (subsidies being the money the government pays them on top of typical Medicare rates) AHIP has come out to say that such cuts would mean that premiums and co-payments for their plans would rise and benefits would be cut back. So, w/o the additional subsidies, these plans cannot compete with Medicare on premiums, co-pays and benefits. The insurance industry is quite open about that and does not deny that they are not competitive. Why do you?

Exactly!!

Because it hasn't. If you consider one test model that DOES NOT mirror the original model that you are comparing it to, a failure, then I'm not sure you understand the entire concept of a free enterprise.

My point was never to establish that MA was just as cost effective as Medicare, my point was to show that gov't, for the most part cannot run public service programs as efficiently as a private company. And I believe hat has been established seeing not one true example to the contrary has been cited.

Bull-cookies!

Will my agreeing with you make you feel better? Mind you, you have still not disproven my point. If anything, finding only one example makes my point for me.

Not!

[james&olya 1,121]

Where is your point? What facts do you have? Opinion is not fact.

+100

[rocks 494]

+100

Thanks. Proof that I don't have to log in and click + like TeddyvB does.

[james&olya 1,121]

I thought that when you agreed with my premise that gov't is not in the business of making profits, you agreed with my assertion that the private sector is more profitable. But I guess you've since changed your mind. Do you not agree with your post below?

More profitable is a very different concept than more efficient!!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Like I said, a dog chasing his tail. It's a beautiful Friday, get out from your Mothers basement and enjoy the sunshine. Thanks for playing.

So, you've got nothing. Thanks for confirming.