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And when you retire, medical costs will be even higher. So even if we doubled it to $100,00 or $150,000, that will still barely pay for a heart operation.
Hey, I'm saying fine, end both Medicare along with the ACA.
Unfortunately no way to end Medicare. Politicians are very sensitive to the senior vote. I would phase out Medicare if I had a chance.
You see. People make it look like Obama won by a landslide 5 million votes. But Bush barely squeaked by Kerry by 4 million votes.
Elections can swing quickly. Neither party can afford to lose a significant senior party vote. And any political even suggesting ending Medicare will automatically lose 2 million votes easily. Now with baby boomers retiring. You would need like a 20 year phase in period. And simply that's not possible with the way the laws work in the USA.
Single payer would work. But that brings up another issue cause you would be asking people who are getting subsidies to pay more with single payer (those making 200% of poverty pay Max around 5% AGI under ACA). Most countries single payer equivalent 200% poverty pay full single payer taxes like 8% in Germany.
Add in those getting "free healthcare" in exchange for providing military services (VA vets). How will you ask them to start paying.
Add in millions of retired state employees getting essentially sweetheart deals from local and state governments with their healthcare plans in retirement. They would be asked to pay more as well.
The list would go on and on who would pay more under single payer.
And when you retire, medical costs will be even higher. So even if we doubled it to $100,00 or $150,000, that will still barely pay for a heart operation.
It's more complicated than that.
Medicare taxes are really employer and employee 2.9%. 1.45% each.
Factor in inflation and where the money is invested. 30k put in over 30 years is almost matched wih employer 30k over 30 years.
Since the stock market grew 15-20% from 1970-2000. All that money is worth a lot more over the year.
So a $60k investment over the 30 years is worth probably $250k in premiums when someone retires.
Sure it won't cover all the cost from major operations. Medicare generally covers 50% of the costs these days only. It's a losing battle.
They tweaked the taxes collected in 1993 with Clinton lifting the cap. Now with Obama with Medicare surcharge. Just depends how many people die/collect benefits ratio. It's a very complicated ratio.
Contrary to popular belief - and the deceptive wording in the Act - Social Security (and all related entitlements) are not what you think they are.
You do not pay into a trust fund. Nor an annuity. Nor even an insurance program.
Congress does not "owe" you anything.
In Helvering v. Davis and Flemming v. Nestor, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Social Security taxes are simply taxes and convey no property or contractual rights to Social Security benefits. And that benefits are entirely at the discretion of Congress.
That few Congressmen will commit political suicide and oppose the distribution of "benefits" is not important.
The point is that what we're led to believe is not correct.
Eventually, the "tax and bribe" program will collapse the nation.
You cannot penalize the productive and reward the non-productive indefinitely. You cannot authorize a government to TAKE from one to GIVE to another, without implementing a "benevolent" totalitarian police state. How else do you enforce such an abomination? Wheedle "pretty please, with sugar on top?"
You're seeing the long term consequences all around: A complex collection of laws to hide behind; A masked, black garbed "police" force that seeks anonymity in its implementation of GESTAPO tactics (aka "SWAT" dynamic entry - up to hurling grenades into baby cribs); Internal passports ('government I.D.') and the demands to produce same; A legal system bent on extracting revenues from the accused, whether guilty or not.
Welcome to the PDSRA!
The People's Democratic Socialist Republic of America
- sans that pesky "charter of negative liberties" (saith BHO, that "constitutional scholar" in the White House, ably assisted by Chief Justice Roberts ). Your "right to life" has become a government granted privilege, as all other aspects of your life. All that is not mandatory, shall be licensed (+ taxed) or forbidden. You already need a license (or pay a tax) to live, work, travel, buy, sell, operate a business, transmit radio, fly a plane, trade in healthcare, buy medicine, cut hair, build a house, hunt, fish, marry and / or own a dog. You have to accept being groped to fly on commercial airliners. The worst is yet to come... oh, right, and when you die, they take a chunk of your estate, too.
And do not forget your papers-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s!
{P.S. - it was all done by your consent, saith the law.}
Unfortunately no way to end Medicare. Politicians are very sensitive to the senior vote. I would phase out Medicare if I had a chance.
You see. People make it look like Obama won by a landslide 5 million votes. But Bush barely squeaked by Kerry by 4 million votes.
Elections can swing quickly. Neither party can afford to lose a significant senior party vote. And any political even suggesting ending Medicare will automatically lose 2 million votes easily. Now with baby boomers retiring. You would need like a 20 year phase in period. And simply that's not possible with the way the laws work in the USA.
Single payer would work. But that brings up another issue cause you would be asking people who are getting subsidies to pay more with single payer (those making 200% of poverty pay Max around 5% AGI under ACA). Most countries single payer equivalent 200% poverty pay full single payer taxes like 8% in Germany.
Add in those getting "free healthcare" in exchange for providing military services (VA vets). How will you ask them to start paying.
Add in millions of retired state employees getting essentially sweetheart deals from local and state governments with their healthcare plans in retirement. They would be asked to pay more as well.
The list would go on and on who would pay more under single payer.
I'm not suggesting taking the Medicare money. If seniors, who are so against "socialism" are honest, they should be fine with ending Medicare and getting their money back to buy coverage. Medicare Part D was completely unfunded yet seniors happily took that too.
Obamacare is an effort to get coverage based on income or need. Seniors seem to deeply resent that yet the money they are getting in the form of coverage far far exceeds what they paid in. If they want to end ACA, then give them back their Medicare money. Or, go with the Republican suggestion of giving them some vouchers and when the vouchers run out, they go pay for their coverage. Give vouchers for Obamacare too. But coverage should not be "this group gets coverage because we say so and this group doesn't".
Unfortunately no way to end Medicare. Politicians are very sensitive to the senior vote. I would phase out Medicare if I had a chance.
Elections can swing quickly. Neither party can afford to lose a significant senior party vote. And any political even suggesting ending Medicare will automatically lose 2 million votes easily. Now with baby boomers retiring. You would need like a 20 year phase in period. And simply that's not possible with the way the laws work in the USA.
Assuming the split is 50-50 I'd say it would be a guaranteed way to lose 25-30 million votes for the party that proposed ending Medicare.
Medicare taxes are really employer and employee 2.9%. 1.45% each.
Factor in inflation and where the money is invested. 30k put in over 30 years is almost matched wih employer 30k over 30 years.
Since the stock market grew 15-20% from 1970-2000. All that money is worth a lot more over the year.
So a $60k investment over the 30 years is worth probably $250k in premiums when someone retires.
Sure it won't cover all the cost from major operations. Medicare generally covers 50% of the costs these days only. It's a losing battle.
They tweaked the taxes collected in 1993 with Clinton lifting the cap. Now with Obama with Medicare surcharge. Just depends how many people die/collect benefits ratio. It's a very complicated ratio.
Except even over 50 years (the maximum possible), most of those did not contribute $60,000. With the 1.45% paid for by the employee, based on $30,000 over 50 years is an extremely generous calculation. The average 16 year old was not making $30,000 in 1965, there is a group of people not even making that now. You can make as generous a calculation as you want but the average Medicare recipient is not remotely paying for the coverage they are receiving.
Assuming the split is 50-50 I'd say it would be a guaranteed way to lose 25-30 million votes for the party that proposed ending Medicare.
Because Medicare recipients want those that are younger than they are to pay for their health care coverage. But they also think those same people are thieves if they participate in Obamacare. Talk about taking it all for themselves.
I'm not suggesting taking the Medicare money. If seniors, who are so against "socialism" are honest, they should be fine with ending Medicare and getting their money back to buy coverage. Medicare Part D was completely unfunded yet seniors happily took that too.
Obamacare is an effort to get coverage based on income or need. Seniors seem to deeply resent that yet the money they are getting in the form of coverage far far exceeds what they paid in. If they want to end ACA, then give them back their Medicare money. Or, go with the Republican suggestion of giving them some vouchers and when the vouchers run out, they go pay for their coverage. Give vouchers for Obamacare too. But coverage should not be "this group gets coverage because we say so and this group doesn't".
Sure. Give them back their Medicare money they contributed over the years along with employee match.
Match it to stock market growth and inflation. Each senior would be getting roughly a 250k check from government.
There are high risk insurers willing to give coverage to current people before the ACA for around 36k a year with like a $20k deductible. I knew of one such Nissan dealership owner who had heart bypass history stroke. Diabetes and sleep apnea. His wife had breast cancer. He was like 60 years old.
So that's like sickest type of patient and roughly equivalent to the sickest senior.
250k a year x 2 people is $500k cash govt can give them to end Medicare.
More than enough to pay the $36k a year premiums with the $20k deductible. Trust me. The seniors with those medical conditions would be dead before their 500k runs out.
I'm not suggesting taking the Medicare money. If seniors, who are so against "socialism" are honest, they should be fine with ending Medicare and getting their money back to buy coverage. Medicare Part D was completely unfunded yet seniors happily took that too.
Obamacare is an effort to get coverage based on income or need. Seniors seem to deeply resent that yet the money they are getting in the form of coverage far far exceeds what they paid in. If they want to end ACA, then give them back their Medicare money. Or, go with the Republican suggestion of giving them some vouchers and when the vouchers run out, they go pay for their coverage. Give vouchers for Obamacare too. But coverage should not be "this group gets coverage because we say so and this group doesn't".
The fact is millennials, if they live long enough, will also get Medicare money. Medicare is here to stay and will be paid out to millennials and generations following them.
There is a reason why liberals in both the 30's and 60's fought for helping people in their old age. The disincentives to work and better yourself produced by government aid programs does much less harm when applied to the elderly versus the youth.
I never complained about paying SS or Medicare when I was in my 20's. I refused welfare, even when I was eligible for it, back then.
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