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Gee, I thought that LBJ signed that legislation. I didn't realize that insurance companies had the power to introduce legislation in the House, enough insurance votes in the Senate, and a insurance CEO sitting in the White House when the legislation became law.
It may be true that the insurance companies favored the Medicare legislation, but it was the politicians who sold us down the river.
The same is probably true for obamacare.
Old sol once again throws in some highly informed information for all to see and probably to no avail. Sol, they don't want to see all this because it just doesn't fit what they see from the lefty websites.
Most of these young whippersnappers yapping around your ankles have a real surprise coming. In their youth they are bulletproof, but the fed will rein them in and bring them back to Earth when they get older. They have yet to experience the problems associated with becoming "medicare-enabled" at 65, the day that the insurance companies make it virtually impossible finanacially for one to afford private health insurance.
We young 'whipper-snappers' as you refer to us already cannot afford private insurance. Did you ever at any time during your working life get hit with monthly insurance premiums of $400+? I would bet not. No, you all were fortunate enough to be working at a time when there were all sorts of guarantees - guaranteed health insurance, guaranteed pensions... We have none of that now and our children have even less.
I am sick and tired of hearing about how much and how long you all paid into Medicare. You will never convince me that you paid in enough to cover your care today - I know how much late and end-of-life care costs and believe me, I, and everyone working today is subsidizing your care while we and our children often go without our own.
Young people just out of college cannot afford to purchase health insurance, however, you better believe that deductions for Medicare come out of their paychecks.
Sure, it's all politics. Old people vote. Children don't. The lengths that the older population in this country will go to take food and other services out of the mouths and bodies of children completely disgusts me.
I am one of the people on Medicare and I would like to back up one of the points made by Roy. Prior to going on Medicare at 65 I purchased Individual BC/BS policy for $248/month. Two years later on Medicare I have ~$97/month deducted from SS check + $112/month for Medicare Supplement +$41/month for drug coverage = $250/month. Hmm! Doesn't look like I am getting such a free ride after all!! I would gladly go back to my Individual BC/BS policy where I knew that a doctor was not going to refuse to see me (due to Medicare) -- as has happened since I went on Medicare. However, the month before my 65th birthday, I received TWO letters from BC/BS saying that I was no longer able to keep my Individual policy because I was turning 65 AND that even if I continued to pay the $248/month they would refuse any claims. And by the way, I am an extremely fit 67 year old who pays in a lot more to Medicare than is paid out.
$248/mo for a 64 year old doesn't seem too believable to me. Was it a PPO with huge deductible?
subsidized by your employer? most individual policies that i'm familiar with are in the $500-600 range and up. mostly everyone that I know is happy when their medicare starts. the coverage options are richer and cheaper.
OK. The Heritage Foundation link you gave seemed to be mostly bewailing cutbacks to MA, is why I asked.
Damn it, lady you keep coming up with reasonable things and getting back on my good side. I do appreciate you when we aren't arguing.
You are so right about that link but I did manage to expose a lot of uninformed people with it and that is all I intended. I read most of it but couldn't agree totally with most of it other than the earlier parts. Since I don't know how to post just parts of things like that without using the whole article that is what I did. Sorry, that you had to be a reasonable left leaner but you are always that reasonable.
I would say that if you are on Medicare now or are going to be before the Obamacare law goes into effect you need to read this. Those who are younger remember that you too may be old some day.
$248/mo for a 64 year old doesn't seem too believable to me. Was it a PPO with huge deductible?
subsidized by your employer? most individual policies that i'm familiar with are in the $500-600 range and up. mostly everyone that I know is happy when their medicare starts. the coverage options are richer and cheaper.
No there was NO employer subsidy as my employer had laid me off at 62 with no benefits at all. Fortunately (in a way) I am a widow who was able to collect SS benefits on my husband's work record and save my benefits until I reach 66 (my full retirement age). The deductible was the same as I had on the Group policy when employed. And this was a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Individual policy so not a fly by night company. Sorry you don't believe me but $248/month was the total premium for 2.5 years until I reached 65 and I have cancelled checks to back it up.
I am one of the people on Medicare and I would like to back up one of the points made by Roy. Prior to going on Medicare at 65 I purchased Individual BC/BS policy for $248/month. Two years later on Medicare I have ~$97/month deducted from SS check + $112/month for Medicare Supplement +$41/month for drug coverage = $250/month. Hmm! Doesn't look like I am getting such a free ride after all!! I would gladly go back to my Individual BC/BS policy where I knew that a doctor was not going to refuse to see me (due to Medicare) -- as has happened since I went on Medicare. However, the month before my 65th birthday, I received TWO letters from BC/BS saying that I was no longer able to keep my Individual policy because I was turning 65 AND that even if I continued to pay the $248/month they would refuse any claims. And by the way, I am an extremely fit 67 year old who pays in a lot more to Medicare than is paid out.
Most of these "kids" don't manage to understand what you say. For instance, you mentioned the BC/BS policy you had and it was very near what my 25 year old son just took out a couple of months ago. His employer had their rates raised so much that he would have been paying over $260 per month over what the employer had to pay. This was because they had one employee who contacted a very strange, costly to pay for problem the previous year and up their rates went. Anyway, he looked around and found that BC/BS had a good program with $1000 deductible and since he is so young and single it was a great move for him to get off the employer supplied program.
What these "kids" don't seem to understand is that it is really deflating to get that letter from the insurance company that tells you that you are so old you have to go on Medicare. They don't understand that we paid on Medicare from its inception, long ago, and are still paying for it. They really don't know that there is a created gap in there that we also have to carry private insurance to cover what Medicare won't pay although it is a small amount. Right now I am paying about $250 per month for that Medi-gap insurance and others like cancer, dental, etc. Add that onto the about $130 we "get" to pay to Medicare and the SS check gets pretty small fast.
These "kids" pay too much attention to what they hear from Kos, TP, MM and other places like them and too little to those of us who are experiencing what we say. Great try with your post, but I see you have already been called a liar by one of THEM.
We young 'whipper-snappers' as you refer to us already cannot afford private insurance. Did you ever at any time during your working life get hit with monthly insurance premiums of $400+? I would bet not. No, you all were fortunate enough to be working at a time when there were all sorts of guarantees - guaranteed health insurance, guaranteed pensions... We have none of that now and our children have even less.
I am sick and tired of hearing about how much and how long you all paid into Medicare. You will never convince me that you paid in enough to cover your care today - I know how much late and end-of-life care costs and believe me, I, and everyone working today is subsidizing your care while we and our children often go without our own.
Young people just out of college cannot afford to purchase health insurance, however, you better believe that deductions for Medicare come out of their paychecks.
Sure, it's all politics. Old people vote. Children don't. The lengths that the older population in this country will go to take food and other services out of the mouths and bodies of children completely disgusts me.
I sympathize with you because I do have young sons having to pay for their medical insurance. However, have you managed to see that we old men are paying around $130 per month for Medicare, about $250 for Medigap and other health insurances and the total is very close to the $400 you speak about. We pay those amounts from SS checks that barely amount to $1000 per month. It just isn't a gravy train for any of us.
Gee, I thought that LBJ signed that legislation. I didn't realize that insurance companies had the power to introduce legislation in the House, enough insurance votes in the Senate, and a insurance CEO sitting in the White House when the legislation became law.
It may be true that the insurance companies favored the Medicare legislation, but it was the politicians who sold us down the river.
The same is probably true for obamacare.
Boy, do you have a lot to learn. Today virtually all legislation is written by lobbyists in DC. Obamacare will add 30 million more customers for the private insurance companies. Obama isn't a communist or socialist.
Medicare is not a handout. You pay for it from every paycheck you receive. There's even a section on your check that indicates the weekly payment. Medicaid on the other hand is.
Oh So it's SOCIALIZED MEDICINE then? It seems we're heading closer and closer to the abyss with the number of people who take advantage of SOCIALIZED MEDICINE... So, let me guess... Medicare has DEATH PANELS that come to your home say "I'm from the Federal Government and want to discuss when you ready to die...?"
Why do you want to kill Grandma!!?!?!?!
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Hmm! Doesn't look like I am getting such a free ride after all!! I would gladly go back to my Individual BC/BS policy where I knew that a doctor was not going to refuse to see me (due to Medicare) -- as has happened since I went on Medicare. However, the month before my 65th birthday, I received TWO letters from BC/BS saying that I was no longer able to keep my Individual policy because I was turning 65 AND that even if I continued to pay the $248/month they would refuse any claims. And by the way, I am an extremely fit 67 year old who pays in a lot more to Medicare than is paid out.
