Recent testimony shows that even the Federal Employee Health benefits Plan is out of control in spending, yet the government wants to control the health care of all Americans. The FHBP as it is commonly known, runs a 35 billion dollar annual price tag, and 30% of that cost is for prescription drugs, compared to 15% in the private sector. Yet the stakeholders of the government plan, the Office of Personnel Management, during a June 24, 2009 Congressional Hearing, didn't really have a good answer why. The respondent did try and blame much on the large number of retirees who are on the plan, and consequently could use more medications, but also alluded to poor controls on their part, the lack of inter-agency cooperation in purchasing and pricing drugs, etc.
Bottom line is that it takes Congressional hearings and watchdogs to police waste within the agencies that cover governmental employees' own health care. So, why would we ever expect more from a system that covers the general public? The government proves time and again they simply cannot do things right, yet wants you and I to believe that "this time it will be different." I think Bernie Madoff said the same thing if they just let him work one more Ponzi scheme, didn't he?
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