Article • Dean Baker’s Beat the Press
Fact-based, data-driven research and analysis to advance democratic debate on vital issues shaping people’s lives.
Center for Economic and Policy Research
1611 Connecticut Ave. NW
Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009
Tel: 202-293-5380
Fax: 202-588-1356
https://cepr.net
USA Today ran a piece warning of the projected rise in Medicare costs associated with the baby boom cohorts turning 65, the age of eligibility. While the article told readers that the projected increase in Medicare costs will eventually exceed the program’s revenues, it would have been worth mentioning that Medicare would be easily affordable if the U.S. did not pay more than twice as much per person for health care as other countries.
There are simple ways in which the United States could benefit from the lower cost of health care in other countries but the protectionists in Congress refuse to consider such options. Unfortunately this article relied exclusively on protectionists as sources.