Page 3 - Robert Moffit News Today

If Congress is serious about addressing gang crime, it shouldconsider policies that build upon, rather than undermine,federalism.

With Medicare facing a bleak fiscal future, and because the program is a major factor in the enormous federal deficit and long-term debt, there needs to be structural reform. The way forward is to (1) require the program to operate under a real, long-term budget based on “premium support”; (2) add catastrophic protection; (3) convert fee-for-service Medicare into a premium-based program; and (4) systematically link premiums to income.

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The drug legislation now in a Capitol Hill committee would create a universal drug entitlement for all seniors in Medicare. Sounds great, but there's one little problem: 78 percent of seniors already have drug coverage, mostly through former employers.

When one federal lawmaker learned in January that the Medicare billpassed by Congress last year would cost $134 billion more thanexpected, he said the law was "a work in progress."

The Prescription Drug Security Card could provide meaningful helpfor low-income seniors who do not have access to drug coverage.These seniors should be the priority for Washington policymakers,who can--and should--provide this help while creating a frameworkfor expanding drug coverage in tandem with overall Medicare reform.

If you can, you know that the problem is more than just the recentdrug entitlement."Indeed, the emerging Medicare crisis is reflective of the largerproblem-failure by Congress to reform and restructure federalentitlement programs," writes Heritage Foundation health careexpert Robert Moffit in a recent online research paper.

Question: "How much money will it cost taxpayers to give allMedicare patients prescription-drug coverage over the next 10years?"

EXCLUSIVE: Experts say Dr Farrars appointment to the World Health Organization was a major unforced error and are calling for him not to take up the position.

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero