re: Medicare will become insolvent in 2026 — three years earlier than previously forecast

I am torn on this issue.

Traditional Medicare is a mess with very high copays and deductibles for people with little to no income, while Medicare Advantage plans offer a wealth of services at a much lower cost and have premiums and availability that depends on your area.

But let’s not forget the Medicaid system in senior care equation. It is also partly why Louisiana’s state budget is so high. Medicaid is nearly 1/3 of it and seniors get dumped onto Medicaid anyway when they are reaching the end are stuffed into nursing homes. Louisiana has a huge problem with this because of the state’s laws that favor nursing homes and sometimes paying for empty beds at nursing homes.

Hence my plan, I would shift Medicare away from a federal government managed program and put it into the state’s hands by the expansion of Medicaid. I only say this because most seniors are at or near the poverty level. For seniors well above the poverty level, a CHIP/Advantage like program with copays and deductibles would be available too.

To pay for it, states would either get their money from their share of federal dollars brought in by Medicare Taxes, or states would implement their own version of Medicare taxes. But under no circumstances would I agree to collect both, ie a federal and state Medicaid/Medicare tax.