temporal1 wrote:Medicare is not free. i struggle to pay for it everyday.
the premiums, the copays, deductibles, the coverage gap. it’s a lot!
thankfully, i am not bothered with a lot of jealousy, but, i admit, after struggling with Medicare costs for a few years now, it’s hard for me not to resent Medicaid. i have just enough to not qualify for any gov subsidies, food stamps, etc., which results in my net standard of living being below those who do!
i know this is a widespread problem for folks like me.
Medicare has free options, of course, coverage is not universal.
Keep in mind I pay about $3,500 a year to your Medicare.
J.M.:
Correct. For your cost basis start with what you pay for an employer sponsored plan, add to that what your employer is paying, and add Medicare tax to that. Factor in deductibles and copays as well.
You will find we pay somewhere near twice as much.
J.M.
sorry. i’m thrown by “we” again.
are you from Australia?
No, we Americans have far and away the most expensive system in the world.
Only somewhere near 70% actually goes for patient care. It just comes from so many different sources we cannot easily track it.
J.M.
I have to admit that having a six figure job on the receiving end of that 30% of overhead made me quite comfortable.
Unless you think the world needs more “consultants”, consider that next time you defend a “free market” health care system.
Josh wrote:Goodness. In Australia having a baby is free.
Sure, and Canada has free healthcare, too. Pretty sure nothing is free in our world. At least not things that you pay for.
In Australia, maternity costs are actually free. In fact, the government pays you to have a baby with a maternity payment, and then pays you annually for each child you have.
Why? It turns out the cost to society of untreated medical difficulties in infancy is very high. Likewise, healthy children (and more children) is good for the economy and good for society.
A “free market” approach to health care doesn’t include the costs of things like prisons, state mental health care, and all the other great results of a lack of medical care. But hey, if you like low taxes, try the third world.... lots of low taxes there and lots of cash only medical care.
temporal1 wrote:Medicare is not free. i struggle to pay for it everyday.
the premiums, the copays, deductibles, the coverage gap. it’s a lot!
thankfully, i am not bothered with a lot of jealousy, but, i admit, after struggling with Medicare costs for a few years now, it’s hard for me not to resent Medicaid. i have just enough to not qualify for any gov subsidies, food stamps, etc., which results in my net standard of living being below those who do!
i know this is a widespread problem for folks like me.
Medicare has free options, of course, coverage is not universal.
Keep in mind I pay about $3,500 a year to your Medicare.
i’ve found, “free” is simply choosing which way to pay, not whether to pay.
i would like you to be my Medicare ins broker .. (conventional definition of “free.”)
we paid for Medicare for decades before being in it. so.
my husband died at age 60, so, his entire contribution went for others.
actually, lots of people die before qualifying age, their contributions must be significant, but rarely mentioned.
0 x
Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.
All of our children’s births were covered by the national Medicare Levy (Australia, 2% of taxable income.) All Doctor/Hospital visits were also covered and each birth was via caesarean. Perhaps we may be taxed higher than in the US, but there is a peace of mind knowing that if any are born prematurely or have the need for long hospital stays, I won’t have to worry about a $300,000 bill.
temporal1 wrote:Medicare is not free. i struggle to pay for it everyday.
the premiums, the copays, deductibles, the coverage gap. it’s a lot!
thankfully, i am not bothered with a lot of jealousy, but, i admit, after struggling with Medicare costs for a few years now, it’s hard for me not to resent Medicaid. i have just enough to not qualify for any gov subsidies, food stamps, etc., which results in my net standard of living being below those who do!
i know this is a widespread problem for folks like me.
Medicare has free options, of course, coverage is not universal.
Keep in mind I pay about $3,500 a year to your Medicare.
That's nice of you Josh. I suspect if Temp made $200k+ like you do she might not be bothered so much about the cost associated with her health care coverage.
That's nice of you Josh. I suspect if Temp made $200k+ like you do she might not be bothered so much about the cost associated with her health care coverage.
if i had 1 year like that, i could save enough, possibly, to stretch through my remaining years, if no big complications. i will not hold my breath on that.
0 x
Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.
