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by toast0 1 day ago
Public healthcare in the US can work. Most seniors on traditional Medicare like it. Make that available to more people, and bob's your uncle.

I propose allowing buy into medicare at 5 years before regular eligibility. And a long phase in of lowering the eligibility age. Drop it by 6 months every year for 10 years, then 1 year every year for 10 years, then 2 years every year until everyone with work credits is eligible.

At the same time, start covering all kids up to some age with Medicaid (after all, kids tend to have no income, so if eligibility was based on their own income instead of household income, they'd qualify). First year, kids get covered until 6 months, next year until 1 year, etc.

When the Medicare and Medicaid ages meet, we have universal health care. It would take a long time to get there on my schedule, but it would be gradual, so everyone could adapt. And if future legislation could adjust the timeline as needed.

Also, clearly someone needs to add more residency slots.

1 comments

Again, you're disconnected from reality.

Do you want Donald Trump to be in charge of public healthcare? Please stop suggesting we make all of those changes unless you're willing to say you want him to be in charge of it.

Has he broken Medicare or VA health more than it already was?

I'll acknowledge he's playing games with Medicaid eligibility, but is he messing with the administration of care?

VA:

"Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today released a comprehensive report detailing the harm and impacts of the Trump Administration’s draconian directives and cuts on veterans. The report, Breaking the Pact: Impacts of Trump, DOGE, and Doug Collins’ Ongoing Assault on Veterans, was released ahead of the Committee’s oversight hearing with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Doug Collins next week.

Blumenthal’s report reveals historic staffing losses at the Department resulting in dire workforce shortages, increasing wait times for life-saving mental health care, and veterans’ care and benefits being put at risk as a direct result of the Trump Administration’s harmful policies. The Committee report—compiled from extensive reporting, firsthand accounts, and ongoing conversations with veterans and VA employees across the nation—details the Administration’s systemic assault on VA over the past year and the tangible impacts its cuts are having on veterans."

https://www.veterans.senate.gov/2026/1/cuts-cover-ups-chaos-...

I'm thinking much longer-term than Donald Trump. I intend to outlive that orange cretin by a good number of years.

(You are, of course, free to be as myopic as you wish -- just as everyone else is.)

I'm also thinking longer term and am not so optimistic that he's just going to go away and the pattern he created won't be taken up by someone else (and the thing to be afraid of is someone else who isn't quite so stupid).

The dam may well be broken, Congress has proven to be full of cowards and the next aspirational autocrat might well win and do better.

I intend to live longer than that potential outcome, too.