There is a myth ingrained in the minds of many Americans that government is inherently inefficient and wasteful. The principle tenant of this myth is that only through the privatization of government’s social responsibilities will you be able to eliminate impropriety and inefficiency. This myth is eroding the underpinnings of our social fabric, and does not stand up when put under the bare minimum of scrutiny.

When the government stopped regulating telecommunication companies, ethics, which had once been kept in place by governmental oversight, were thrown out the window, leading to the collapse of WorldCom. Energy deregulation led to the Enron fallout, where the company’s executives were found guilty of market manipulation, contributing significantly to California’s energy crisis at the time. Lax Securities and Exchange Commission accounting regulations gave Arthur Anderson “creative license” to help Enron cook their books. The shenanigans of these companies and others (Duke Energy, Tyco, Qwest Communications) cost investors and taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, and ruined tens of thousands of lives in the process. (Lest we forget, this is what also happened to the savings and loan industry after they were deregulated 20-odd years ago.)

Americans were disgusted by the real-life consequences caused by such corporate greed and callousness. According to the proponents of deregulation, this was supposed to expand access, improve quality, and reduce the costs of the services that these companies provided to the public. None of those things happened. We need to learn, when it comes to providing services to the public, corporations aren’t interested in what can be done for society, but rather how much will be paid by society.

Now our government wants to put Medicare into the hands of private corporations. How much is this going to cost taxpayers? According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, Medicare Advantage plans have cost taxpayers 12 percent more than traditional Medicare plans, and they have not improved the quality of care or coverage, as the name implies.

Like all privatization schemes of the past, Medicare Advantage was developed under the idea that private insurers could provide the same services as Medicare at a lower cost, but again, the reverse was true. The CBO report found 20 percent of Medicare-eligible seniors use Medicare Advantage plans, with a cost totaling $54 billion in overpayments over the next five years, and $150 billion over the next 10 years.

The Maine People’s Alliance, in conjunction with the Medicare Rights Center and the Alliance for Retired Americans, is committed to preventing this from happening, and together we are in support of “achieving financial neutrality between payment rates for the Medicare fee-for-service program and the Medicare Advantage program” – ensuring that these plans are no longer paid 12 percent more than the cost of covering the same beneficiaries in fees-for-services.

An American Medical Association statement to Congress on Medicare Advantage’s “Private Fee-for-Service” plans noted: “It is difficult to detect any meaningful benefits either to patients or to rural communities that is derived from these enormous government subsidies. In fact, there is mounting evidence that PFFS plans are luring their enrollees with false promises, skimping on benefits and reimbursement rates, and using their government subsidies primarily to increase profits for their shareholders.” Even the Wall Street Journal – no enemy of free markets – has voiced its concern about the waste. In May, columnist Holman W. Jenkins Jr. lamented: “Health insurers, once reliable bad guys who elicited boos in movie theaters, have been reborn as giant government contractors.”

It’s not too late to change course. Reversing the privatization of Medicare will free up precious public resources that could be used to expand access to health care for those who need it most, our children. The money saved by placing Medicare Advantage beneficiaries back into government control could be used for the funding and reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. This would provide health coverage for most of the 9 million uninsured children in this country.

As it happens, Congress is now considering significant increases in funding for SCHIP and Medicaid. It should be the responsibility of every concerned citizen to see their taxpayer money is put to better use, instead of being funneled to corporations, who in turn, funnel a portion of it back to our politicians through their PACs.

Maine People’s Alliance has always been a vocal advocate for public health care policies that improve quality, reduce costs and expand the access of health care for all people. Unfortunately, Medicare Advantage fails all three of these tests, and as history has shown, this is what happens whenever the government moves from serving the public interest to serving the interests of private corporations.

Right now Medicare is sliding into privatization, but Congress has an opportunity to save it and in return make quality, affordable health care available to more Americans than ever. Please support our efforts by contacting your elected representatives, and let them know you do not support the privatization of tax-funded government programs.

We don’t need to ensure our financial markets are safe from government regulation; rather, we need to ensure our government programs are safe from our corporations.

Michael J. Owen of Brewer is a member of the Maine’s People Alliance.