Cuts to Medicaid & Medicare?

In the New York Times today is a story that President Bush will call for "large cuts in the growth of Medicare, far exceeding what he proposed last year, and he will again seek major savings in Medicaid, according to administration officials and budget documents." Both "health programs account for nearly one-fourth of all federal spending, and their combined cost -- $627 billion last year-- is expected to double in a decade." While the details are the important issue it is unlikely this will be more than fiddling with the fringes. Until we get the will to set up a single payor system which focuses on "Need" instead of "Want" and puts a premium on proven generic drugs there will be no halting the upward spiral of medical costs.