what's driving up the national debt

[Chris]

So the total of all actual federal spending is less than 20% of GDP? Is that correct?

If I add all the percentages in the OP chart I get around 22%. Sounds about right:

[barb012]

The biggest money maker for the major health insurance companies is Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. This is what is really driving up the cost of entitlements. When people on government insurance was managed by the government. it was far less expensive simply because they were not paying premiums to anyone on those programs.

[Chris]

The biggest money maker for the major health insurance companies is Medicare Advantage and Medicaid. This is what is really driving up the cost of entitlements. When people on government insurance was managed by the government. it was far less expensive simply because they were not paying premiums to anyone on those programs.

The problem with government-managed health care is controlling prices to keep them low also has the unintended consequence of lowering quality of care, also reflected in less doctors and nurses.

[Lummy]

All "entitlements" are unconstitutional.

That would make us all outlaw. Entitlements date back at least to the Great Depression.

[Chris]

Now that that's sunk in, consider Democratic Socialism: Who Knew That 'Free' Could Cost So Much?

Since the Democratic Party took a turn for the worse toward so-called democratic socialism, the party's leading lights have laid the promises on pretty thick. Free Medicare for all! Guaranteed income! Guaranteed jobs! Subsidized housing! Free college! Universal pre-school! Wow, and all for free.

Well, not exactly. In a devastating piece that appeared on the left-of-center web site Vox (to its credit), Manhattan Institute fellow Brian Riedl went through the simple math of what free actually costs. It's a lot.

...Riedl looked at the 10-year costs of all the various promises made by Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other self-described democratic socialists. He was as generous as could be in his estimates, often accepting the democratic socialists' cost estimate even when it was patently and absurdly too low. It's quite a laundry-list of promises with enormous costs: "Free college" ($807 billion); Social Security expansion ($188 billion); single-payer health care ($32 trillion); guaranteed jobs at $15 per hour plus benefits ($6.8 trillion); infrastructure ($1 trillion); student loan debt forgiveness ($1.4 trillion).

Net cost: about $42.5 trillion over 10 years, give or take a few hundred billion. To paraphrase the late, great Republican Sen. Everett Dirksen: "A trillion here, a trillion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."

As it is, current federal estimates expect about $44 trillion in tax revenues over that same period, with a deficit of roughly $12.4 trillion. Remember: All this democratic socialist spending comes on top of what we're already spending.

..."The 30-year projected tab for these programs is even more staggering," wrote Riedl. "New proposals costing $218 trillion, on top of an $84 trillion baseline deficit driven by Social Security, Medicare and the resulting interest costs."....

[donttread]

From Quick reminder of what's driving up the national debt: it's not schools, roads, bridges, or even the military:

Does the term "entitlements " include Medicare and SS?

[Chris]

Does the term "entitlements " include Medicare and SS?

Medicare, surely.

I don't think SS is. People pay into that fund and so earn a return.

[Captdon]

Now that that's sunk in, consider Democratic Socialism: Who Knew That 'Free' Could Cost So Much?

That dumbass Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that single payer is good because it would keep people healthy longer and save on funeral expenses. I guess it will make us immortal.

[MisterVeritis]

That would make us all outlaw. Entitlements date back at least to the Great Depression.

But they are still all unconstitutional.

[Chris]

That dumbass Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that single payer is good because it would keep people healthy longer and save on funeral expenses. I guess it will make us immortal.

And it's free!