medicare vouchers - let me get this straight

[AmandaRuth]

If I understand this correctly, and admittedly, i don't pay enough attention - Since i am 55, when I become eligible for medicare, I will receive a voucher to be used in the private care system. Now, I am normal weight for my height, but I do have a history of smoking, (which is well known in my medical records, I always try to be honest with the doc), I have eye problems, and my family has a history of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, (but not me, yet, knock on wood). All of this is known to the insurance companies due to electronic computerized record keeping.

Now from what I understand, any insurance company can charge me any amount, but I will have some sort of partial payment with my voucher. The insurance companies can pay their CEO's any amount they feel is justified, even if it is a billion dollars. As far as my premiums goes, Company A can offer me coverage for a monthly premium of $6,000 and Company B can offer the same coverage for $6,100 a month, and this is "competition".

So my question is, will I have anything left out of my retirement after I get done paying insurance premiums, and why in the hell did I pay 1.45% per dollar (matched by my employer) of earnings all my fucking life for health care in my old age?

Do I have this right?



:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

edit - change $ to %,.

[NMDemDist2]

1. K&N, and since I turned 56 on Sunday, does that mean I'm covered?

but that my 53 yo hubby isn't??

this is crazy :eyes:

[pnwmom]

3. Exactly. And I"m covered and my younger siblings aren't. n/t

[pnwmom]

2. If you were 55 when they first announced this, you should be still under Medicare. n/t

[Morning Dew]

5. They announced it for real?

Holy crap.

This 54 year old is pissed.

[pnwmom]

9. It hasn't passed yet, and hopefully never will.

But they did say that those who were at that time 55 and over would receive Medicare. Those under 55 would get vouchers.

And the obvious question is: if those vouchers will assure adequate medical care for a 54 year old when he turns 65, why should they exempt those 55 and over? 65 and over? And the answer is: the vouchers won't work for anyone. They'll be a lousy deal but the Rethugs are afraid of the voting power of the elderly and are trying to buy them off now.

[Morning Dew]

14. Thanks.

[Raven]

4. I believe you have it right. I just enrolled in Medicare...here is how

it works now: you enroll in Medicare Part A and Part B around your 65th birthday. Part A has no premium and covers hospitalization but not the total cost of hospitalization. Part B covers doctors' visits but not all of that cost and has a premium of $115 a month. Part C or Medicare Advantage, covers the gaps with a very low premium and a $5000 deductable. Medical Supplement plans will also cover the gaps with a higher premium ($151 for me). Part D is the drug coverage and I got an AARP/United Health plan for $27. There are some co-pays in this system but, generally I will pay a little less than $300 a month for total coverage. There were no medical questionaires. It took me about 1 hour to enroll in Parts A and B and the Medicare system including its website is extremely efficient. It took me several hours to figure out what policies fit me under Part C and D but it wasn't too bad. This system works right now for millions of people. The republicans want to break it.

[Raven]

8. Oh, and one more thing, if folks over 55 think they are going to be

spared, I doubt that a system that costs me $300 a month and some younger person a dozen times more will last for long.

[pnwmom]

10. I totally agree. n/t

[mmonk]

6. Yes, we have gone from talking about extending Medicare

to people down to 55 years old to no Medicare in the future for anyone under 55. Want to know why I do not like "centrists and Blue Dogs" now? We could have at least passed that back when we had the chance.

[craigmatic]

7. These republican assholes want to give people coupons to go to the doctor.

Last time I checked you still have to pay when you have coupons.

[pnwmom]

11. Hey, it's better than paying in chickens.

:shrug:

[eridani]

12. You've nailed it. Confront your congresscritter every chance you get on this

Especially if Repuke.

[sarcasmo]

13. Under the repulican model only the elite would afford health care.

[Raven]

15. Let me add a qualifier to something I said in my earlier post...

I said that figuring out the insurance provisions of Medicare Supplements and Drug Plans was fairly easy. It was about as easy as a root canal. There are dozens of plans with dozens of footnotes. It is not easy to figure out the private insurance aspects of Medicare. I have a MA and a JD and continue to retain my brain cells and it still was a head scratcher.

[pnwmom]

16. Can you imagine doing this with the major part of the plan?

A bureaucrat's idea of heaven maybe -- but hell for the rest of us.

[provis99]

17. Yup. In other words, you are seriously screwed.

Thank Paul "I love Ayn Rand" Paul for that.