It doesn't go to the drug makers "perhaps." It is money paid to the drug companies on behalf of medicare Part D subscribers. It is a subsidy for the subscribers, not the drug companies. If this benefit did not exist, this 60 billion would be coming out of each Medicare Part D subscriber's pocket and paid directly to the drug companies. The only reason why Medicare Part D is better than individual payments to drug companies is that these companies negotiate with the government for a fixed rate per drug. If individuals had to do this, I guarantee these costs would be higher...a lot higher. Another example why so-called socialized medicine works.

Every plan is going to cost more than what I pay now. And what I pay now is ridiculous," said Ross, 47, who owns a cat-sitting business called Tales of the Kitty and pays more than $400 a month for her insurance. "It's a great thing for some people, but it's certainly not helping me."

Ross is among the millions of Americans who buy coverage on their own, but must find new coverage because the health law has rendered their current policies outdated. But Ross, like many others, is not finding the plans sold through the Affordable Care Act to be particularly affordable.


http://www.sfgate.com/health/article/Health-insurance-shoppers-suffer-sticker-shock-4872701.php

Floyd, it is the people who should be ashamed that they are so poorly informed about legislation that has a MAJOR impact on them. Government touches every aspect of our lives, and so many people know nothing about it. They b***h about politicians, but they cannot even name their own congressman, and have no idea how he or she v**ed. They work for us. That is like griping about your employees doing a sorry job, and you have no idea who works for you or what they are up to, and you can't be bothered to fire them, because "the next ones will be just as bad." You are mistaken; people like this don't get screwed sooner or later, they get screwed sooner AND later.

I agree with you on that! I build what my customers want! All of them have different wants, and different needs, as most of our manufactures are no longer in business, the parts I use must be replaceable! 2/3 of the heavy equiptment makers are no longer in business! You have a 2 million dollar d**gline, or dredge, Dealer is "out of business" no franchise, no manufacture! In these times you can't just scrap it and buy another! And all farmers and grove owners have a different idea of "What works for them". They tell me what they want, and the sizes and dimensions needed, I build it! But no young people care about learning all the sk**ls neccessary! "Takes too long". Same in the Machine tool industry in New England, a few old men build all of our machine tools, It takes 3 years to build the machines needed to manufacture a new automotive engine! And we have sent them out of the country! So bankers could make more money? The factories are EMPTY, no machines, and the sk**led machinists are old, dead, or retired! No new people learning the trades, Our country is doomed! Greed at the top has ruined us! Lawyers suing people is not a GNP! Neither is bureaucrats sucking the blood out of the few workers!

That's fantasy. I like to use pentagon figures for appropriations. Here's the link. http://costsofwar.org/article/pentagon-budget
This is by far the most conservative estimate. $1.4 trillion. Not included are military logistics to stage both wars (that comes out of the regular military budget) or the enormous cost of caring for 30,000 wounded and survivor benefits for 3000 dead. Care estimates are 600 billion to 1 trillion. Here's the link for that. http://costsofwar.org/article/caring-us-veterans Now of course other expenses aren't factored in such as the explosion of the homeland security budget (thanks to Bush) post 9/11 costing 650 billion (http://costsofwar.org/article/homeland-security-budget). Add money tossed at Iraq to rebuild it to the tune of 60 billion (http://costsofwar.org/article/foreign-assistance-budget) and you get closer to the actual number of well over 3 trillion. It's important to understand the actual unfunded costs these wars cost us. The use of the phrase "by all estimates" doesn't cut it. Please debate this using facts...not fiction. I'll address your other questions in another reply.

There are three major things, maybe four, that have interfered with capitalism competition, that keeps prices low and services high.

The first is that the AMA has deliberately kept the number of new doctor licenses, they issue, below demand.
For any of you that have any basic knowledge of economics
101, you know that any time you artificially create a
shortage, it increases prices and gives those already in the
market a monopoly.
When the AMA admits that it's doing it, they will tell you that it''s to
keep their members income up, because it costs so much to become
a doctor.
They never talk about the people who have spent the
money and the time to qualify as a doctor, yet, are denied
their licenses.
They also maintain that it is to ensure the quality of doctors, they
don't want to hand them out to anybody.
If that were true, then we shouldn't have any doctors
anywhere, successfully sued for malpractice.

The second thing is that drug companies have such a monopoly that they can threaten to stop manufacturing a drug, that is needed by the public.
Normally in a free market economy, if one big company didn't want
to produce a certain item because the profit margin wasn't high
enough, then the product would be produce by a smaller company
that needed to increase it's bottom line. To a small company profit
is profit.
So, what does America do? Do we make certain that the
laws of this country allow small companies to form and
take up the slack that the bigger companies leave behind?

NO! The American government uses taxpayer money to
subsidize the mega corporations rewarding them for their
mismanagement and uncompetitive policies.
To the extent, that the American government will outlaw
buying the same product from another country. The United
States government will not just protect the drug companies
from domestic competition, it will protect the nation drug
companies from international competition.

The third thing is:
A farmer, who grows his own wheat, on his own land, to make the bread, he is going to eat, at his dinner table, has to follow interstate commerce laws, because, somehow, some-way, his wheat, might someday cross a state line in some sort of a business t***saction.

But, no one can buy an insurance policy, that they like, from any other state. Therefore every person, is a captive audience in every state and they can only get what's available in that state and you can't go any place else.
That is not capitalism.

The fourth thing?
Is our court system, that is designed to enrich lawyers. But, that just doesn’t effect medical bills and insurance. Our dysfunctional court system is an Albatross hung around the neck of every citizen in this country. That should be changed, but it shouldn't stop at special interest groups like doctors and insurance companies. We are all entitled to the same justice, no matter what side of the fence we're on.