The Runaway Money Printing Policy of the Fed(eral Reserve Bank)

Fresh on the Heels of the Government Shutdown and the painful Necessity to raise the Debt Ceiling a surprising but not unexpected Announcement from the Fed, in the waning Days of the Chairmanship of Mr. Bernanke:

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/fed-says-it-will-keep-stimulating-economy-leaves-rates-unchanged-8C11498307

Basically, the Fed, under Mr. Bernanke's Policy of so called „Quantitative Easing” just announced that will be pouring another $ 85 Billion into the Stock Market, buying Bonds, each Month, for the foreseeable Future, until at least March ofr 2014.  This is Money which is not reflected in the Federal Deficit and Money which the Government neither has, nor has authorized through Congress.  The Report further states and we are quoting here,

Wall Street had expected the Fed to refrain from tapering its so-called Money Printing Operation. (Emphasis added).

According, to The New York Times,on the other Hand,

The statement contained no surprises, and the stock market barely budged. The Fed was widely expected to continue adding $85 billion a month to its portfolio of Treasury securities and mortgage-backed securities, particularly in the aftermath of the disruptive partial shutdown of the federal government in the first half of October.

The Fed maintained a relatively optimistic economic outlook in the statement, released after a scheduled two-day meeting of its policy-making committee. It said the economy continued to expand “at a moderate pace” and that the availability of jobs continued to improve.

Now, as Mr. Bernanke prepares to clean up his Desk and leave his Office at the Federal Reserve, the several Trillion Dollars that he has spent, under this ill advised Policy will, of course, remain on the Books backed by Bonds.  What Kind of Bonds?  Goodness only knows.  It will be Mrs. Yellen's Job, presumably, to find out.

This stubborn Policy, pursued by Mr. Bernanke, to „Lift the Economy by the Bootstraps” under some strange Trickle Down Theory strongly reminsicent of „Reaganomics” has been conducted by Mr. Bernanke, if not singlehandedly, because he has had the Concurrence (although not unanimous) of the Federal Reserve Board Members, certainly without the Approval, Appropriation or even Advice of Congress nor that of the President of the United States.

It is true, that the Federal Reserve Board is supposed to function independently.  One wonders aloud, however, if under „independently” the Framers of the Law setting up the Federal Reserve Bank had in mind it spending $ 85 Billion per Month without any Accountability whatsoever.  No such Thing has ever been done by anyone else, anywhere, ever, with the one notable Exception of Vice President Cheney, who spent Billions on the War in Iraq, also without Congressional Approval.

It must be said, in Defense of Mr. Cheney, that the Sums of Money he spent pale in Comparison to the Amounts being spent by Mr. Bernanke.

This is also coming at a Time where incalculable Effort has been spent on showing that there has not been and there is going to be Little if any Inflation in the Consumer Price Index.

It would take too long to fully examine what that Statement is supposed to mean.  However, in Shorthand, it can safely be said that „No Inflation” means „No Inflation” except that certain Things are not to be included in the Equation, to mention a Few, Energy (Fuel and Utilities), Housing, Commodities (Food) plus a Couple of other Things here and there...

Even that Theory, as flawed as it is, has come under Scrutiny by the Mainstream, although many Economists have questioned ist Wisdom for a long Time.

See...

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/business/economy/in-fed-and-out-many-now-think-inflation-helps.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20131027&_r=0


Janet Yellen, the presumptive incoming Chair(wo)man of the Federal Reserves disagrees with Mr. Bernanke and believes that a draconian Control on Inflation (while notably excluding the Categories noted above and more) is not necessarily a beneficial Policy.

But the Consequences will be for her to sort out, once Mr. Bernanke leaves.

We are not sure where Mr. Bernanke is headed; Rumours have persisted and it appears that it is his wish to return to teaching at Princeton University; we simply don't know.  Earlier, we mentioned, we believe more than once, that President Woodrow Wilson (who was also President of his beloved Princeton University), may have rolled in his Grave (more than once) at the Thought of some of the Things that Mr. Bernanke did; to this, we need to add that he surely would have also scratched his head, if he would have been able to.

The Need for a Positive Approach to the Medical System in the United States

The First Thing that needs to be said here is that the Medical System in the United States does need to be drastically reformed.  It is the most expensive Medical System in the World and No. 2 does not even come close.  To make Things worse, someone who lives in the United States has about the same Life Expectancy as one does in Cuba, Way behind Places like Japan, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany or, say, even behind Singapore or Cyprus.

 

Chart showing the astronomical Rise of Health Care Costs in the United States

The Health Care Reform Act (so called „Obamacare”) is an Attempt at doing precisely that.  However, what started as a well intentioned and even noble Effort was deteriorated by Compromise after Compromise and became filled with Loopholes which, not unexpectedly, Health Insurance Providers are eagerly trying to exploit.

Just to set something in Perspective:  the United States has the highest paid Doctors in the World.  Many Doctors who graduate from Medical School in Foreign Countries, where the Cost of getting this Education is Zero or near Zero, trek over as soon as they can to the United States where they can earn 100 Times or 1.000 Times more than they can in the Country where they went to School, leaving their Governments angry at having invested in their Education but not being able to retain Doctors in their own Country, where they are so desperately needed.

Doctors are just one additional Problem.  Hospitals have in place Elaborate Systems to extract the Maximum possible Revenue not only from Insurers but from the Government as well, when providing Medicare or Medicaid covered Services.  Both the Government and Insurance Companies fight back.  Some think, Hospitals know how to outsmart not only the Insurance Companies but, more importantly, the Government.

If you are an Individual who would pay out of your own Pocket for Medical Care without having any Insurance, forget it.  The so called „List Prices” for Facilities and Services could be (and generally are) several Times higher than what the contracted Prices which the Insurance Companies or the Government pays are.

One Example that has been used alegorically over and over is the Cost of an MRI, which is the modern Version of a simple X-Ray.  Sometimes, just an X-Ray might suffice but, not surprisingly, Hospitals almost exclusively do MRI's which can be/are far more profitable.  Just how profitable?  The List Price for an MRI can vary, are you ready for this, anywhere from $ 800,00 up to $ 17.000,00 at some Hospitals.  And that, according to a recent investigative Report, for the same exact Procedure.

Ever wondered what an MRI costs in Germany?  We can end your Suspense:  $ 160,00.  France:  $ 160,00.  Italy?  $ 140,00.  Japan, which has one of the highest Cost of Living Indexes in the World?  $ 60,00.  All, using the same Equipment.  Now, an MRI is no indication of how long you are going to live but it can be more than a Coincidence that People in Japan live the longest followed by those in Italy.

There have been well publicized Problems with the Federal Government's Health Insurance Marketplace Website; These were not to be unexpected and certainly will be resolved, probably sooner rather than later.  The Problem, however, lies deeper than that.

Most People are clearly dissatisfied with the Situation as it currently stands and is developing.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/30/21252291-poll-majority-think-health-law-needs-overhaul-or-elimination?lite

The Question, we believe, is just what Kind of a Path is necessary to go forward, whether Congress, the Health Insurance Industry, Hospitals, Doctors and Health Workers want to hear it or not.  Health Care in the United States consumes, if one includes the Cost of Litigation (such as Malpractice) associated with Health Care to more than 18% of the GNP, a staggering Amount.  Even without the Cost of Litigation, it is in Excess of 16%.  Some sort of National or quasi National Reform which would include Coverage ensuring reasonably unform Health Care for all Americans is not only necessary, but also overdue, way, way, way overdue.  Bismark figured this out way back in the 1890's.  Every other industrialized Nation and many others in the lower Tier have some System to deal with Health Care for its Population in some Form or another.  There are Similarities as well as Differences between the Systems that various Countries use.  That is not only understandable but to be expected.

And, as President Obama stated (and conceded, although others did not), one must start from building by drawing on the System that is already in Place.

Looking at the American Precedents already in Place, why not keep everybody's Insurance where it is (which is what was originally envisioned), take all the uninsured under the Threat of a Penalty (as the Legislation does now) and throw them into a Medicare/Medicaid/quasi Medicare/Medicaid Program and then, based upon Verification of Employment or Self Employment, charged them a Premium based on Income/Ability for Coverage.  Then take the Insurance Premium which would be actuarially appropriate for that Individual and throw it on an Insurance Company based on a statistical Pool.  Insurance Companies which throw Individuals out of their Plans hoping to cash in on the Bonanza, would be discouraged in doing that because all that would happen to those Cases is, the Government would turn around and throw the Policies back at them through this Assigned Risk Pool and charge the Premiums which should prevail; they would be the same or lower as what the Individuals would have had under their previous Plan, since the Insurance Companies would try to change the Insurance Plan only for those who they thought they could get more Money from.

Bottom Line, except for General Rate Revisions (which is not what one should be talking about right now), all Insurance Health Insurance Policies which are already in Place, should not be changed based on „Technicalities” (Change in Provisions, number of Insured Covered and so on).  This, however is not what is happening right now and, some say, 14-18 Million Americans could be either left without Health Coverage or be forced to pay significantly higher or exorbitant Rates or, worse, be thrown out of the Insurance Pool altogether.  This is the very opposite of what the Law is trying to accomplish.

http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/29/21222195-obama-administration-knew-millions-could-not-keep-their-health-insurance?lite

Another Thing that would resolve the Mess (this, based on Systems used in other Countries); if you are unemployed (with insufficient Assets), then the Government picks up the Insurance Premium until you are re-employed; if you are married, then the whole Family is covered under the Premium, even if Wife (oops! Or Husband)/Children are unemployed/not working and if your Wife/Child/ren seek/obtain Employment, they do have to pay their Premium and so do you.  Translation:  everybody working pays a Premium and everybody not working has Insurance based on working Family Member(s) or the Government.  Retirees would continue to get Medicare as they currently do.  Medicare Part B is already based on Ability to pay, since the Cost incurred by the Government per Beneficiary is $ 400,00 or so.  Most pay $ 100,00 or so but, even if on Medicare and having Part B, if someone has or is making abover certain Thresholds, they have to pay more, up to the entire $ 400,00 or so.  Finally, for Retirees, the Concept that Medicare Part A is paid 100% by the Government for all, then Medicare Part B is paid partially by the Government for most and that, regardless, on Top of that, one needs still additional Insurance in Order to reach a Deductible Level which they can afford...well...that sounds, no it doesn't sound, it is a Can of Worms in which Doctors, Hospitals, Clinics and Insurance Companies only see Billions and Billions of Dollar Signs.

 

Finally, someone woke up and removed the Cap on the Medicare Tax.  That is a good Thing.  Currently, however the Medicare Tax Rate is 0,9%.  Why the Medicare Tax Rate (which is supposed to cover  Medicare Costs on a current Basis...those working today pay for the Health Care of Retirees) does not even come Close to covering what it costs the Government to provide Medical Care to Retirees defies Credulity.  Keep in Mind, this is just to draw a Parallel on Priorities, The Fed(eral Reserve Bank), (Mr. Bernanke), is spending $ 82 Billion a Month (a Figure not included in the Federal Deficit), simply for his Quantitative Easement Theory (he would call it a Policy), the only tangible Result of which has been to propel the Stock Market (Dow Jones) to over 15.000 Points.