3 ms·

These taxes fund Medicare and Social Security which his administration and the GOP wants to cut back. Although reducing payroll taxes would be helpful to busine

These taxes fund Medicare and Social Security which his administration and the GOP wants to cut back. Although reducing payroll taxes would be helpful to businesses, these programs may be necessary to help citizens infected or displaced by COVID-19. Medicare may need a buff to compensate for strain on the program if only for testing while those of retirement age (and more likely to be impacted by the virus) might opt to leave the workforce during this period and start drawing on their entitlements like Social Security. They have been paying into it their entire lives, they are entitled to now draw on those benefits.

naveen99 7y ago
Money is fungible. They could just make medical care free for all for 2020 also if they want... but this will have more of a general economic stimulus that think.
- charwalker 7y ago
  How they go about that would be interesting. Would they make it so offices can right of the cost and gt it back next tax season? Would they inject cash to pay off those bills directly? Would they subsidize care in addition or in place of insurance? Each could have a different long term outcome. A future payoff will still hurt the offices that are 'made whole' but don't have cash now to pay employees or bills. Paying bills directly would emulate basic income or universal healthcare without taking part in the pricing discussion possible leading to gouging. And subsidies would do something similar as offices could raise prices above insurance minimums up to whatever the government pays out but could allow more control long term as the government muscles into the insurance space generally and can start setting prices like universal healthcare. I think this is the perfect opportunity to be a bit authoritarian on healthcare policy. The left wants a universal system like medicare for all and the right wants the current administration to look good ahead of the 2020 election especialy if the 'economy' (stock market) is tanking. The administration could declare a medical emergency and gain access to additional funding or work with congress to up funding or work on a universal medicare for all implementation. The emergency allows quick action and a scapegoat to point at if things don't work well initially (something like the ACA websites issues). The administration can then expand medicare to all citizens (emphasis on citizens for better optics to the right) and move to partner with insurance groups for outreach or expansion while paying health care offices directly and naming their price. Win Win. The US has a psuedo universal system, the government can manage pricing for all bringing down prices for care and drugs, insurance companies become the hands actually doing the work and any layoffs can be pointed at the emergency or slow down vs the new policy. Of course insurance groups will not want to work on this as it would mean they would lose a ton of money or die off but then again I'm not a policy maker or educated to write policy, just posing hypotheticals on the internet.

naveen99 7y ago

Money is fungible. They could just make medical care free for all for 2020 also if they want... but this will have more of a general economic stimulus that think.

charwalker 7y ago
How they go about that would be interesting. Would they make it so offices can right of the cost and gt it back next tax season? Would they inject cash to pay off those bills directly? Would they subsidize care in addition or in place of insurance? Each could have a different long term outcome. A future payoff will still hurt the offices that are 'made whole' but don't have cash now to pay employees or bills. Paying bills directly would emulate basic income or universal healthcare without taking part in the pricing discussion possible leading to gouging. And subsidies would do something similar as offices could raise prices above insurance minimums up to whatever the government pays out but could allow more control long term as the government muscles into the insurance space generally and can start setting prices like universal healthcare. I think this is the perfect opportunity to be a bit authoritarian on healthcare policy. The left wants a universal system like medicare for all and the right wants the current administration to look good ahead of the 2020 election especialy if the 'economy' (stock market) is tanking. The administration could declare a medical emergency and gain access to additional funding or work with congress to up funding or work on a universal medicare for all implementation. The emergency allows quick action and a scapegoat to point at if things don't work well initially (something like the ACA websites issues). The administration can then expand medicare to all citizens (emphasis on citizens for better optics to the right) and move to partner with insurance groups for outreach or expansion while paying health care offices directly and naming their price. Win Win. The US has a psuedo universal system, the government can manage pricing for all bringing down prices for care and drugs, insurance companies become the hands actually doing the work and any layoffs can be pointed at the emergency or slow down vs the new policy. Of course insurance groups will not want to work on this as it would mean they would lose a ton of money or die off but then again I'm not a policy maker or educated to write policy, just posing hypotheticals on the internet.