medicare

Nobody bargained for a particular number of Medicare dollars in 30 years in return for doing a particular job.

There will have to be a number of cut-backs in retirement benefits for future retirees, including means-testing, removing the maximum wage for Social Security contributions, and higher Medicare premiums.

Which is why many suggest that congress should only get health care through medicare.

Add up what you spend on all your taxes, state and Federal, look at medicare, SS your health insurance and other fees.

First, there is a big difference between a defined benefit pension and say Medicare (which is the bulk of the unfunded liability).

Under Fleming the federal government can reduce Social Security and Medicare benefits if necessary.

I didn't say pensions are like just another public service, I said Medicare is, unlike pensions.

It's important to note that they (republicans) tend to want to cut taxes but not services, because they can't compromise and cut both the military and medicare/Medicaid/welfare/etc.

In my state, middle class pays 25% Federal income tax plus 9% state income tax plus 6.2% SSI tax plus 2.9% Medicare tax plus 0.5% transit tax.

My wife works for a good-sized hospital managing the department that's responsible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, and we've discussed this at great length.

I'm just saying if you trace back where those supposed private sector $$ come from, don't almost 100% of them come from the Medicare program?

A efficiency comparison; Medicare alone (which only covers the elderly and disabled) costs the US more per capita than the NHS costs the UK to cover the entire population.

Even with four programs which are often confused into just "Medicare and Medicaid" we don't hit that number.

When Medicare/Medicaid pays $150 for the same type of crutch that sells in a local pharmacy for $15, that difference does not go into "administrative expenses".

> Doesn't every penny of "old people drugs" development come from selling drugs to old people paid solely by medicare?

) And I see no signs the establishment GOP is truly interested in cutting "medicare/Medicaid/welfare", however much they might talk about cutting the latter two.

The US spends about half ($1 Trillion) of our federal taxes directly on Healthcare programs, between Medicaid and Medicare.

Not chump change, but easily fundable, and ridiculously easy to offset with the cost savings in terms of Medicare.

They get a pension, Social Security, and Medicare, and that income is often the sole thing keeping the town afloat.