Inequality and health; Pollitt on West; Invading Afganistan

[Brad De Long]

>>In the research on
>>inequality and health the impact to the well-to-do, or at least to the
>>middle class is usually couched in terms of the tax burden of health care to
>>the poor, or possibly productivity losses from working class folks with
>>higher adverse health risks. It is not obvious to me how the rich might
>>otherwise be affected,
>
>I'm always interested in ideas that might convince the middle and
>upper-middle classes that screwwing the working class and poor is just
>slashing their own throats.
>
>The whole health care situation seems to be ripe for this purpose.  I
>wonder if the waves of boomers needing long term care will institute
>socialized elder-care sometimes, as very few people can afford this care
>and Medicare will be overwhelmed as we all get senile.
>
>(BTW, Have you heard all these financial shows on AM radio that expain how
>to get rid of your money in such a way that you can qualify for Medicaid
>nursing home care.  Isn't that fraud?  Can you imagine someone on the radio
>explaining how to use stolen credit card numbers?  Giving hints on
>qualifying for disability benefits?)

Using stolen credit cards isn't a middle-class thing. Transfering houses to
your kids so that the federal government doesn't get them when you do the
Medicaid spend-down is...

I have never understood why the argument that "some of your grandchildren
are going to be working-class" isn't decisive. Because most of them are...

Brad DeLong