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[Zairak]

Should the elderly (That is, the elderly that are soon going to die of natural causes anyway) recieve medicare access in the amounts that they do? Should they recieve less? More? None at all?

According to some sources, a major percentage of the medicare funds available go towards keeping these people alive, but is it worth it?

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Please keep this one civil.
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Discuss.

[killshot]

Yes, they deserve to be kept alive just like anyone else. If we start withholding medicare from people who don't have long to use it, that means we are giving the state the power to decide who is fit to survive and who deserves to die. I don't trust my government to act objectively and treat each case with the consideration it deserves. I know if I was old, I would want every effort to be made to extend my life.

[mystra]

If they're in good health or just need meds (heart issues, diabetes, etc.) i see no problem with it. but if they're an invalid then no i don't believe they should receive Medicare.

case in point: my dad is 68 and on Medicare because he cannot afford the insulin and heart meds he needs to be on. he's an active person and a construction worker.

as opposed to: my grandparents are in their 80's both have Alzheimer's, need a live in nurse, one has diabetes, they are not active, can barely function and need constant attention. (i'm not cold hearted, i just don't see the point in helping people who imo are barely surviving)

[darkarcher]

What Mystra is referring to will probably end up becoming the measuring stick in the end: a person's aid is directly proportional to their contribution to society. (However, this would probably not include people who contributed enough to society to actually have provided for themselves in advance. They would be taxed. :V)

But honestly, Medicare is going to bottom out. It's really hard to say whether elderly people should receive it because there are very heavy pros and cons to both sides, and it boils down to the choice of what one believes to be the lesser of two evils. In the end, the system is inherently flawed and will have to be replaced once it goes bankrupt (it already runs negative profits if I'm not mistaken). It will be easier to assess what kind of medical coverage people should receive once a new system is in place (there will hopefully be a clearer cost/benefit system).

[Gary]

Pay for your own damn health care.