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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J_F_Shepard who wrote (40366)	10/5/2015 12:11:55 AM
From: TimF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

The overhead would be a minority of the total cost but would hardly be infinitesimal. And it appears the Wikipedia article is indicating that they payments might also be in part from tax money. "Parts B and D are partially funded by premiums paid by Medicare enrollees and general fund revenue." en.wikipedia.org ------ But since you wouldn't believe that I went looking for more detail and found it. It turns out premiums cover only 25% of Part B and only 15% of Part D -- How Is Medicare Financed?Medicare is funded primarily from three sources: general revenues (41%), payroll taxes (38%), and beneficiary premiums (13%) (Figure 6). Part A is financed primarily through a 2.9% tax on earnings paid by employers and employees (1.45% each) (accounting for 87% of Part A revenue). Higher-income taxpayers (more than $200,000/individual and $250,000/couple) pay a higher payroll tax on earnings (2.35%). Part B is financed through general revenues (73%), beneficiary premiums (25%), and interest and other sources (2%). Beneficiaries with annual incomes over $85,000/individual or $170,000/couple pay a higher, income-related Part B premium reflecting a larger share of total Part B spending, ranging from 35% to 80%. The ACA froze the income thresholds through 2019, and beginning in 2020, the income thresholds will once again be indexed to inflation, based on their levels in 2019 (a provision in MACRA). As a result, the number and share of beneficiaries paying income-related premiums will increase as the number of people on Medicare continues to grow in future years and as their incomes rise. Part D is financed through general revenues (74%), beneficiary premiums (15%), and state payments for dual eligibles (11%). Similar to Part B, enrollees with higher incomes pay a larger share of the cost of Part D coverage. The Medicare Advantage program (Part C) is not separately financed. Medicare Advantage plans such as HMOs and PPOs cover all Part A, Part B, and (typically) Part D benefits. Beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans typically pay monthly premiums for additional benefits covered by their plan in addition to the Part B premium. kff.org