Medicare can be screwed up but like everything else it's all about understanding how the system works. I am enrolling in Medicare Senior Advantage though Kaiser and it includes Medicare A, B and D it has a vision plan and limited dental for $86.00/mo (that doesn't include the $93.00/mo deducted from my SSDI. The deductible for doctor visits is $25.00 and prescription drugs in the Kaiser formulary, as long as they are generic is $12.00. It is an HMO plan, unforunately some states, like Arizona don't allow HMO's. Then a supplemental plan, like AARP offers, can cut the expenses way down, pays for what Medicare doesn't cover. My dad had both, broke a femur, had cancer and I don't remember paying a dime for his healthcare, even the ambulance rides or PT.

I worked mostly high paying jobs and have been fully vested in Social Security for quite a while and that has helped a lot.

There is some truth to what David says about spending priorities and it's not just on lottery tickets. In the US people buy all sorts of stuff they can't afford at the expense of medical insurance. We have truly become an entitlement society and that in itself is a sickness. I am sure that like the gas crisis, if we ALL share the pain a little then health care premiums can be brought down, much like auto insurance rates have been in California (you can't get a license without proof of insurance). If all small businesses offered health insurance maybe the rates would come down to a manageable level for the rest of us. Maybe a shared responsibility between small business and Social Security, similar to Medicare would be a possible solution. (I'm sure starting to sould like I'm for socialized medicine aren't I?).

People under 40 can get catastrophic care coverage for pretty cheap. When it starts to get expensive is when you go over 40 and really ramps up in the 50's when many chronic illnesses amd self abuse start to take their toll.

I have always love the saying "If I had known that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself".

There are no simple solutions. Obama is simply not going to be able to reform the system overnight - it might take his whole term if ever...