[anamax]

> Maybe the the whole "people getting money to which they are not entitled" plays a role in government finance shortfalls.

The low estimates of medicare fraud start at $60B/year. Folks who claim some familiarity with the issue say that it's over $100B/year.

Then there's the "hey, you're old, you need a power-chair" market. It's not fraud, but ....

At the same time, medicare/medicaid seem more likely to deny legitimate claims than the evil insurance companies.

However, medicare is able to cut a check efficiently.