Medicare reimbursement for health care providers has already been frozen for some time. At the same time, reimbursement for health insurance providers who take over medicare's responsibilities has increased. These providers now get more per medicare member per year than medicare spends per member to provide care. No cuts for private insurers are proposed for this budget. It may even offer them higher rates.

Now Wonks Anonymous recognizes that these plans have significant expenses what with writing confusing and complicated policies and selling them to unsuspecting seniors. Still he wonders: Wasn't the point of privatization that it would lower costs and save the taxpayer money?