Simple - because the population is aging - soon there will be more people eligible for Medicare than working to pay for it. People are living longer and having less children. This has been the news for years.

The only hope is to reformulate the whole process. By not doing anything, the Wall Street Journal projected it to be bankrupt by 2017 - that's 8 years from now. We cannot wait any longer, or it will be too late.

You can't believe the hype that the insurance companies are putting out there. 8 years ago, my insurance premium was $200/month, in just 8 years it has doubled. Without somebody stepping in - with all these uninsured people going to emergency rooms - where they cannot legally be turned away - and then not paying the bill, those who have insurance will be forking out higher and higher sums for decreasing coverage. Think about your own situation. Unless you are a teacher (that is a separate discussion), the amount you have to pay in addition to what your employer pays, has undoubtedly been increasing every year.

Part of me thinks - go fend for yourself, but because of the laws that hospitals can't turn away somebody - they HAVE to treat them, they have no choice than to get the money from somewhere, and frankly, I'm tired of them getting from me all the time.