With  the nomination of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan for vice president on  the Republican Party ticket, Medicare has become a focal issue right up  there with the economy, jobs and the national debt. While throughout  the 2012 campaign Medicare has been seen as one of the issues, it  flounder around the middle of the pack until Ryan's selection by  Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

On January 1 of this year, I did a report that asked this quesstion: What to Do with Medicare?

Now  as we wait the start of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday  and relax from the Republican National Convention which ended Thursday,  perhaps it is a good time to once again revisit Medicare.

The Medicare program is accepted by all to be one in dire need of adjustments and perhpas a complete overhaul.

The  funding of Medicare seems to be the primary concern by both Democrats  and Republicans as well as on the mind and in the talk of independents.

Medicare  is one of those "hybrid" programs where funding is not 100% from tax  dollars flowing into Washington D.C. Members of the program also pay a  monthly premium for inclusion in the government-managed insurance  program.

The  amount of the premium and who should pay more and who should pay less  is at the heart of Medicare talks. In addition there are fraud claims  that continue to plague Medicare and the ever-increasing health care  costs. Compounding all of this is the number of "baby boomers" retiring  and enrolling in Medicare.

Political  campaigns like to point out the differences in approach taken by both  Democrats and Republicans. But how much of that is partisan hype and how  much is reality?

Baby  boomers take note: Medicare as your parents have known it is headed for  big changes no matter who wins the White House in 2012. You may not  like it, but you might have to accept it.

Dial down the partisan  rhetoric and surprising similarities emerge from competing policy  prescriptions by President Barack Obama and leading Republicans such as  Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.

Limit the overall growth of Medicare spending? It's in both approaches.

Squeeze more money from upper-income retirees and some in the middle-class? Ditto.

Raise the eligibility age? That too, if the deal is right.

http://azstarnet.com/news/national/medicare-debate-is-all-about-the-baby-boomers/article_ee52738e-4396-5786-a03c-d94f4a0e7fbd.html

No  one on either side of the aisle disagrees that Medicare must be taken  back to the drafting table for a rework. What is in disagreement is how  to change the system and yet remain a safety net for millions.

"People  would like to have what they used to have. What they don't seem to  understand is that it's already changed," said Gail Wilensky, a former  Medicare administrator and adviser to Republicans. "Medicare as we have  known it is not part of our future."

Two sets of numbers underscore that point.

First,  Medicare's giant trust fund for inpatient care is projected to run out  of money in 2024. At that point, the program will collect only enough  payroll taxes to pay 90 percent of benefits.

Second, researchers  estimate that 20 to 30 percent of the more than $500 billion that  Medicare now spends annually is wasted on treatments and procedures of  little or no benefit to patients.

Taken together, that means  policymakers can't let Medicare keep running on autopilot and they'll  look for cuts before any payroll tax increases.

We  are hearing what the members of Congress, the President and Romney  think about Medicare and its problems. But...what do the voters, the  workers and the enrollees think about the system?

Should Medicare be completely privatized or be partially privatized and partially government supported?

Should  those currently on Medicare be allowed to stay in the current program,  but new enrollees have to opt for a privatized version?

Should future retirees be made to choose to participate in individual health care accounts or have no safety net?

Should there be an option for privatization or the current system for future retirees to choose?

What is the most viable plan to correct the acknowledged pitfalls with the current Medicare system?

From the Cornfield, I hope that readers will respond with their thoughts, feelings and ideas on the Medicare system.