I wasn't railing. At least I didn't mean to. I think Medicare is an OK system. It does what it does well enough and is a boon to lots of people. But it doesn't cover everything my Blue Cross does. It doesn't cover shingles vaccinations, for example, or annual physicals.
Your comment was that a single-payer system would bring railing from the public. My position is simply that I don't know why it would if it was a system like the single-payer system of Medicare.
To me, your complaints are example of complaining just to complain. Why? Because Medicare was never designed to cover everything. If it did, the cost to beneficiaries would have to go up, too, wouldn't it?
The plan we have is a compromise plan. It was designed to cover 80% of costs. It leaves people 'free' to choose from any one of a number of private plans to cover the other 20%, plus a few extras. Or they are 'free' to not get a supplement at all.....just pay the 20% out of pocket. I thought you believed there should be choice, and not a cookie cutter insurance world? Would you prefer that Medicare pay 100%, and we, of course, pay a higher premium accordingly. Would you prefer that Medicare cover everything under the sun from backscratching to hangnails.....and pay through the nose for this coverage whether we want them or not?
You seem to think we should be getting bloated, frilly plans from Medicare. But in other posts you seemed to think bloated, frilly plans were a waste and were unfair because of the higher premiums. Or is it that you want the bloated, frilly plan (shingles vaccinations, heart scans on demand), but don't want to pay extra for it? This is the impression I'm getting when you compain about these perceived Medicare shortcomings.
Benefit plans are not rocket science. The US can design any combination of things it wants to be included in the plan, add up all the costs, divide it by the number of people in the country, and VOILLA!!....you have the premium.
You may not have run into any shortfall yet but it's there.
Of course it's there. I knew that before I ever went into Medicare, and I don't and didn't give it a second thought. As I said last week, I wanted a second opionion on an eye problem and happily took my checkbook with me to a second opthamalogist. It never occured to me to whine that Medicare "should" pay for as many eye exams as I want. Why? Because there is no "should". Medicare just is what it is.....a bundle of benefits that are somewhat rationed as to frequency of use....and a premium that is kept low enough that most senior citizens can afford it. |
