Comments on: Medicare Beneficiaries Spend 28% of Income on Health Care

By: C R Powell

C R Powell — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 23:26:58 +0000

Yes, many Medicare recipients spend a great deal of their income on medical appointments. That is because they have Medicare Advantage programs with low co-pays and consider a visit to their doctor a “social occasion.” Many doctors have patients return again and again for unnecessary treatments. I think of a friend, now deceased, who made three-times weekly visits to his primary care physician for a broken toe. When asked why he kept returning to have his toe soaked in Epsom salts, he said why not, it’s free (he also had a costly supplemental policy). Medicare Advantage premiums continue to increase and physician reimbursements go down. This is not the answer to health care reform. Personal responsibility is. Can we also pass a bill to have our car insurance paid for by the taxpayers? Mine is waaay too expensive.

By: Tom H.

Tom H. — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:12:43 +0000

Actually, Medicare is a horribe insurance plan. Most seniors are paying three premiums to three plans (Medicare Part B, Medigap and Part D drug coverage) and they still do not have coverage as comprehensive as most nonseniors have.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:13:12 +0000

Good point, Roy. And one almost never mentioned by Commonwealth and all the other groups that want to push all of us into Medicare.

By: John R. Graham

John R. Graham — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:59:30 +0000

Oh, you mean they are “underinsured” according to the arbitrary notion that people who spend 10% of their income are “underinsured”, which has inexplicably gained traction in the media.

So, despite underpaying providers, presenting future generations with an unfunded liablitiy of billions of dollars, and relying on general tax revenues (outside payroll taxes and premiums) to bail out over half its costs, Medicare still cannot cover seniors’ medical costs! Astonishing.