Joan Ganz Cooney | 09/22/2009 4:55 pm
Joan Ganz Cooney on Medicare: 'I'm Lucky But That Doesn't Mean I'm Callous'
Joan Ganz Cooney responds to comments on the Question of the Day about the success of Medicare.
I’m terribly sorry that my short (and perhaps careless) answer to the Medicare question angered some of the readers. Let me explain: I carry private insurance because I can afford to and because most of my doctors won’t accept Medicare (a big problem for a lot of people as more and more doctors refuse it because of the small payments). I know I’m lucky but that doesn’t mean I’m callous.
What I tried to say in my answer is that Medicare and Medicaid are currently creating a future tsunami of debt that will be a terrible burden for our children and grandchildren. This is not a matter of opinion but is confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office (a nonpartisan body) and virtually every expert who has studied the situation. What the president is suggesting is expanded health-care coverage (which I ardently support) without any reform of any kind of existing programs, which are major drivers of the deficit. There have been a number of suggested reforms because Medicare, as currently administered, is more costly than it need be. Many thousands – maybe millions – will object to almost any reform that is suggested because such reforms usually mean cutting benefits in one way or another. However, there are some reforms on the table that, while certain might take ten years to implement, would cut costs without denying any necessary service to those in need.
Currently, we have a fee-for-service system, regardless of who orders the service. Sometimes it is the doctor, many of whom practice defensive medicine because of potential lawsuits; other times it’s hospitals and other providers who admittedly order more tests than are necessary for different reasons. All I’m suggesting is that while I’d like to see universal health coverage, I’d also like to see some reforms that would bring health-care costs under control, but every time any suggestion is made, the word "rationing" comes up and that ends the discussion. I am as aware as anyone of the devastation of illness (and death) of a (young) loved one, and so I completely understand the emotions that attend any discussion of these issues. But sooner or later, the debt situation will force painful decisions and I am arguing only that it would be better to begin reform now when the problems are more manageable than it will be in ten more years of piling up this unsustainable debt and trying to arrive at sensible decisions during a major crisis.
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26 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment
Joan put that way I agree that before it goes belly up medicare needs to be looked at. But for the people already on it there needs to be set goals in the next ten years that does not rip it away from people already 65 and older. When this stuff is talked about I feel just like my 401K and everything I worked for is down the toilet.
Thanks for clearing up your statement
Barb, I’m with you, I am highly concerned for both my mother and my grandma. They have both lost a tremendous amount of finances because of what happened with the economy. Money, they couldn’t afford to loose. At almost 70 years old my mother is trying to look for full-time employement as well as take care of grandma.
We are already going to be paying for generations with the bailout of the car industry and now we are trying to tackle something that needs lots of good foresight into the future as to how this will effect us down the road. Yes the system is broken, at the same time politicians need to focus on the issue stop doing those crazy add in to bills (there’s a technical term for it I don’t know what it is .. lol) that need to pass as pure as possible. stop making knee jerk reactions and choices that do nothing except put us further and further down the tubes. Think about the people who are utilizing the processes now.
The other HUGE issue is burial costs and how many families are forced to sign over deceased loved ones to counties because they can’t pay for a burial. Our state used to cover basic costs for a family so it wasn’t so shocking they no longer can as the state is pretty much bankrupt. Then to add insult to injury, as of the 1st of this new year there is no money. My heart breaks for families as they try to bury loved one’s and just can’t.
You mentioned cutting costs without denying necessary services to those in need. I am receiving SSI due to physical disabitilies. Yet my greatest cripplers are my cash, medical and food benefits. My Medicaid is already denying necessary services. The weather is turning cold and I do not even have a pair of shoes other than flip flops to wear because my feet are so twisted that only square toed cowboy boots work for me. But I have had mine for several years and they are so walked down that the hollows of the heels are showing and excruciating to walk in now. I have not the money to resole them, replace them or what is really needed go to a chiropractor. Sure a chiropractor is covered after I pay the initial x-ray or exam fee which of course I can not.
Truth be told my quality of care is such now that if I were not responsible for another life (I am raising my granddaughter) I would not bother to live a single day more. No one should have to suffer extreme pain and fatigue 24/7 for over two decades as I have courtesy of Medicaid. As it is I am considering giving up my granddaughter in a couple months because she deserves a parent that can care for her not the other way around. Her life is passing her by just as happened to my other children. And I deserve to have dreams and accomplishments too.
My fear for America is that the new health care Obama wants to give America will be too much like Medicaid. I know that is not what he wants. He just doesn’t know.
Christine, Medicaid is your state -the funds from the feds are moved to the states to adminster Medicaid. Contact your governor’s office, and state senators (you can do that online via http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt) and send a short, precise email about your status and your needs - remember this is state, not federal. Also, your state elder abuse unit has access to shoes for you, as does any United Way agency.
Christine, are you diabetic? I’m only asking b/c perhaps some of us can send you some slippers, and shoes, and diabetics cannot wear the new cutsie plastic mules, etc. (those not sure how good for the feet they are). I don’t mean to pry.
I’m sure that some of "us" have shoes/slippers/boots that we never wore b/c they were too large, or too small, or might want to help with a "hand-up" - (I think I wrote that somewhere, before!). ;-) Perhaps if you describe what you need, type, size, and/or if special needs variety, we can find something to help you out. As a youngester, I never liked it when old folks complained about their feet all the time. ;-))
Oh thank you so much C jay. I am not diabetic. Just very malnourished (sad but true). LOL. Loop at it this way. Our spines are the centers our our bodies. Everything (bones, muscles, nerves) runs off from there or is someother way inteconnected with it. When the spine shifts far enough out of place other bones can become dislocated as a result. My back has been messed up for so long and I out of necessity have continued to live as if it is not that my right arm, several ribs and my left leg are displaced as a result. The right leg is currently becoming dislocated too. As a result my leg and foot bones are not where they belong either. I know what I really need is a chiropractor and someone to help out while I recupperate. In a perfect world maybe. But I do not have those options. So instead I discovered several years ago that I could manage with square toed cowboyboots. They worked because they have extra room above the feet. They cost me $100.00. Unfortunately I found out this afternoon that they are too cheap. They can not be resoled. The soles are glued not stitched on. And here I thought I had a good top of the line shoe at $100.00. LOL. At least they were leather. For some reason that I have never been able to figure out my feet do not like synthetic leather. So as you can see I am not only putting the cart before the horse but tying it to the rear and pulling the cart myself. Can’t help it. That’s what I have to work with. I can wear moccasin type shoes if they are well lined and roomy. I have a pair of cheap house slipper ones and they are fine at home. Depending on the shoe I wear a 7, 7 1/2, or 8. I am going to make an appointment with a podiatrist if I can. Maybe there is something they can do. I just worry that some kind of insert might make the back problem worse. Oh, well I guess there is always more pain killers. I already take 60 mg of morphine a day for the fibromyalgia and several thousand mgs of ibuprofen and acetomenaphen a day to for the migraines. Yes the doctor found that Imatrex shots worked for me; but, as usual Medicaid refused to approve them. As I have been saying our Welfare-Medical system has two faces. A yes we do public face. And a no we don’t receiptient face. Help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Do not let any one put you down. No one has walked in YOUR shoes but YOU..
Sounds like your life has been a mess and it gets to a point where others don’t even believe it anymore when you try to tell them.
Chin up—-get a book on Meditation and Bhuddism so you can learn to start to hel yourself.
Great advice, Lynn Marie - key to life’s obstacles is learning to "let go" - I call it "waiting for the Universe to act . . ." Things do change, and time is a relative experience. In the interim, perhaps we can give a hand-up to CC.
Thanks Lynn. My self esteem is to the point now that I tell people that I am on Welfare even though I could right off the bat upgrade my status by telling them I am disabled and on SSI. If they choose to judge me according to the Welfare stereotype then that’s their loss. I may loss out on help with ‘things’ i.e. clothes, shoes, furniture, etc., etc.; but, they lose out on knowing a loving, kind, intelligent, incredibly talented, creative, generous woman. So their loss is the greater. I am curently a student of Self realization Fellowship started in california in the 1920’s by Paramanhansa Yogananda. I try to meditate each morning. And I still dream of finding a financial business partner to help me get my career started. Actually I am hoping that it will be a long term relatinship with them handling all the press, gallery contacts, etc. I am an artist. I have no head for business. I imagine I would pay them in sales percentages and possibly flat fees as well. I am not ignorant to the fact that they would need to invest a sum possibly substantial at first to get me started. And that is a huge risk since if the endevour fails then I would never be able to pay them back. I also know that such ‘investments’ happen regularly in the music industry when a new talent is ‘discovered’. I beleive it may also happen in modelling, acting, sports and other industries as well. I am also looking forward to a very, very long overdue vacation. In the meantime I am working on surviving. It just hasn’t been going well is all. My ‘resources’ are forcing me to severely overwork an abused body and ignore ‘difficulties’ that are in bad need of medical care. The only question is will I manage to survive long enough. All I can do is my best. If I do not make it then I will have to try again in the next lifetime I suppose. Have a wonderful day, Lynn.
Christine your post was quite an eye opener to me as it shoud be for others who believe that health care reform which entails the government controlling the care is the magic bullet to resolve the health care *crisis*.
I think many private insurers (if not all) provide coverage for chiropractors and podiatrists (which it sounds like you need to see for your feet).
Joan, do not apologize for speaking the truth. Eighty-five percent of Americans are happy with their current health care situation. Christine has just demonstrated that if the government runs it…there will be 100% of us who are dissatisfied with health care. And no, you are not *lucky*. You have made life choices which enable you to afford private care. There wasn’t some sort of *good luck fairy* that descended on your life to allow you to earn the money to pay for it. Some people make health insurance a priority in their budget and forego internet fees, cell phone fees, car lease payments. Others don’t.
There was a time when I lived on english muffins, scrambled eggs and american cheese but I always paid my health insurance premiums. To many today living without a cell phone, computer, internet, and a leased SUV. is equivalent to living without a flush toilet. Trust me…it is not.