The problem with the "waste, fraud, and abuse trope is ...
by Barney68 (2024-03-05 08:51:03)

In reply to: Thanks for posting, certainly wasn't necessary.  posted by krudler

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that while it's real and the numbers look impressive, it's an illusion. Imagine WF&A amounts to 1% of spending, and I suspect that's high. In a $2 trillion budget, the maximum savings would be $20 billion. Since perfection is impossible, say you net $10 billion. A help, yes. A solution, no.

Note that Social Security is a very low overhead passthrough. Not much available there.

Medicare is a different story. The problem is that the complexity of modern medicine creates a lot of opportunity for poor cost control.

DoD is huge and a significant chunk of that budget's value is in the eye of the beholder. Guessing what will be valuable in future conflicts is very tricky as is being demonstrated in Ukraine.

On the Medicare problem I am far from a health care expert
by wpkirish  (2024-03-05 10:16:46)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

The "problem" is easy the solutions are difficult. I know this a gross oversimplification but at the core health care costs consist of health insurance payments, payments to providers (hospitals and doctors) and payments to drug manufacturers.

That means to control health care costs you have a few options.

1. Limit how much health insurance companies can charge.
2. Limit the amount providers can charge.
3. Limit how much Pharma can charge.
4. Limit how many times a person can make use of services.

AsI said this is not my area of expertise but at its core that is the problem. No one wants to tell companies what they can charge and no one wants to tell people that cant go to the doctor as much as they want. I know there are a host of solutions but at the end of the day I think they are all debates about how to best solve one leg of this equation.


typing with one hand, so please pardon caps, etc.
by Barney68  (2024-03-05 14:55:32)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Cannot reply

2. is already in the system.
5. is already in the system; paying for some excess stuff myself despite medicare.

3. is huge. let medicare negotiate pricing. limit advertising for hugely overpriced drugs. increase so-pays for optional stuff.

add 5., better policing for wf&a. simplify the billing system. my daughter does medical coding.