Reason Magazine Poll and What the ACA Tells Us About Medicare

The Libertarian magazine Reason completed a poll <---Click here to see full poll of results and here ---> and interview recently to gage the publics perceptions and opinions on the Affordable Care Act.  While there is no effort here to open a debate on the merits of Medicare, what is interesting are the comparisons of the public opinions about the ACA and what could be argued are the same conditions created by Medicare.  Is it possible that the ACA was meant to open America's eyes and spur us to relook at the problems with Medicare in order to have a more honest conversation about this entitlement?  Let's look at some comparisons.

Would you find it acceptable or unacceptable for you to [Pay higher health insurance premiums] so that health insurance companies can NOT deny you coverage or charge you higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions? (ASKED OF FORM B) 

• Acceptable............................................16% 

• Unacceptable........................................78% 

Would you find it acceptable or unacceptable for you to [Pay higher taxes] so that health insurance companies can NOT deny you coverage or charge you higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions? (ASKED OF FORM A) 

• Acceptable............................................24% 

• Unacceptable........................................71% 

As more baby boomers enter the Medicare system usdebtclock.org has estimated that the "Unfunded Liability" for Medicare is $78 Trillion Dollars.  Americans will have to pay higher taxes in order to not decline anyone currently expecting coverage in retirement, just like the ACA.  CHECK - Unacceptable.

Would you find it acceptable or unacceptable for you to [Switch doctors] so that health insurance companies can NOT deny you coverage or charge you higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions? (ASKED OF FORM B) 

• Acceptable............................................47% 

• Unacceptable........................................46% 

Would you find it acceptable or unacceptable for you to [Have fewer choices of doctors and hospitals] so that health insurance companies can NOT deny you coverage or charge you higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions? (ASKED OF FORM B) 

• Acceptable............................................22% 

• Unacceptable........................................73% 

Would you find it acceptable or unacceptable for you to [Have limited access to top quality doctors and health care providers] so that health insurance companies can NOT deny you coverage or charge you higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions? (ASKED OF FORM A) 

• Acceptable............................................22% 

• Unacceptable........................................76% 

Doctors Refuse To Accept Medicare Patients in California more and more because the reimbursement does not meet the overhead created by the regulations and reimbursement costs in the system.  In fact the revolt of doctors for the ACA "Is Obamacare Driving Doctors to Refuse Insurance? - Yahoo Finance" has already begun as they site a 40% savings by refusing insurance including Medicare.  So shortly it may not be about simply switching doctors, but still having choices, if there are any left.  Check - Unacceptable.

The next couple of questions addressed whether delays in appointments, tests, and treatments would be acceptable and the population soundly rejected any extensions, so let's finish with this question which brought the comparison to my attention: 

Do you favor or oppose requiring younger, healthier people to pay more for health insurance if it helps pay for older and less healthy people? (ASKED OF FORM B) 

• Favor.....................................................27% 

• Oppose.................................................70% 

Not sure how else we plan to plug the Medicare gap but clearly Medicare taxes on our young, healthier population will have to go astronomically higher to fund Medicare.  Check-Unacceptable.

It might just be that the solution is to let doctors go free of the insurance and Medicare/Medicaid system and refocus on the 35% that Medicare was originally meant to support.  Of course, we could pass laws conscripting practices to accept these patients but then we're pretty sure doctors will just leave the system all together, or just as likely never enter it to begin with.

That's a Check I'm sure we would all find unacceptable.