Medicare For All Would Not Be Free

I am getting a little tired of clamoring for “Medicare for All” as though it is free.

Medicare is NOT FREE! We paid into a Medicare program for many years. For me, that was a long time, as I worked until I was 74.

Now that we get Social Security we find an absence of about $145 per month per person to pay for Medicare. That figures out to $290 per month for a couple or $3,480 per year. Medicare pays only 80 percent of your medical bills, so most people get some kind of a supplement. We chose a Medicare Advantage which costs us another $44 per month or $528 per year. That brings our total to $4,008.

It doesn’t stop there. Because we chose the Medicare Advantage that is relatively inexpensive, we have deductibles and co-pays on every doctor’s visit and medical procedure we have. For the two of us, that usually amounts to $3,000 or $4,000 per year if you include dental and eye care. Keep in mind we are relatively healthy. If we have the maximum illness in one year, it would be $8,000 for the two of us.

Add it all together and what do you get $3,480 from Social Security, $528 for a supplement and in the worst year $8,000 on top of that. The total would be $12,360.

I hope those young whipper snappers are getting the picture. Health care is not free just because you reach 65.

Another scenario

Let’s look at another scenario. Medicare is not available until you reach the age of 65. By this time, a lot of unhealthy people have been weeded out of the system. That figure is, according to national statistics, 30 percent. Those folks who chose on their own to have unhealthy lifestyles such as drugs, alcohol, tobacco, over-eating junk foods and a lack of exercise are probably dead. Therefore, Medicare is getting the watered down version of those needing health care.

There are some who simply inherited bad genes and there is not much they can do about that. It is also true we begin falling apart around 65, so it will be a battle from there on out.

If everyone had Medicare as the Bernie Sanders followers are wishing, and if it were to be paid for properly, it would mean that every man, woman, and child would have to begin paying a payroll tax from birth on.

Since babies don’t have access to much money, that means their parents would have to foot the bill.

Since they are already demanding 2.9 percent of your paycheck for Medicare when you reach 65, that number would have to be increased to no less than 20 percent to begin coverage at birth.

That is 20 percent for the husband, 20 percent for the wife, and the children still have a price tag. On top of that, each person, would have to pay an additional $150 per month. That figure is based on a sliding income scale so, that would be the minimum. Those making more than $50,000 would have to pay more.

If you have a family of four, that figure would be at least $550 per month plus a supplement with copays and a deductible and the 20 percent being taken out of your paycheck. If you work for yourself, you would have to cough it up.

The good old USA would still end up providing healthcare for those who are indigent or cannot work for whatever reason. They do now, it is called Medicaid.

It’s not free

The point I am attempting to make here is that health care is not and is never going to be free.

Should it be available for everyone? I think so, and it pretty much is. For those lucky enough to work for an employer who provides health insurance, say “thank you.” Not every employer can afford to be that generous.

For those who have to provide their own health insurance because they work for themselves, it is a struggle. This is especially true since Obamacare went into effect. Prior to those days, an individual who was healthy could purchase health insurance at a reasonable price and go to the doctors of their choice. Today, the price of the policy plus the deductibles is ridiculous and it keeps going up each year.

The main thing wrong with health insurance in those pre-Obama days was pre-existing conditions. If you had so much as a hangnail, it was difficult to get a policy because the insurance company could see problems down the road. They also played games with the pricing. They could not raise the price on just one individual, but they could raise it on a whole group to pay for any losses they might have.

Those things needed fixing. The government could have easily provided a health insurance plan at a somewhat reasonable cost for those with pre-existing conditions and save themselves a ton of money over the Obamacare. They would have also had a more satisfied public.

With all they did, there is a still a group of people who cannot get insurance. When I was in the business, I had a lady who did not make enough to qualify for Medicaid. Despite their best efforts, there is still a group which is not insured nor insurable.

If I were still in the working class, I would resent very much seeing my insurance bills go higher and higher each year to pay for the bad habits of others. Why should I, a non-drinker, non-smoker, have to pay for the illnesses caused by the poor choices of others? With Obamacare, everyone gets lumped together and there are no healthy versus nonhealthy options.

I don’t even pretend to know what the answer to our health care cost is. I just know that anyone who thinks Medicare for all would be free may be a few cans shy of a six pack.