Re: Medicare

Quite right, Marge. The SSA funding crises exists only if you grant that the fund will someday have to call in its chits--which means, almost by definition, it's not a trust fund problem, but a general revenue problem.


On Jan 19, 2006, at 7:02 PM, Marge Talt wrote:

Our leader's singular grasp of our common language clarifies why the
prescription portion of Medicare is so completely unintelligible.

The part I have never understood is that if you don't sign up for it
by a specific date, you get penalized.  Huh?  Same if you don't sign
up for either SS or Medicare by a certain age.  I do NOT get the
point here.

I've read the info. on prescription drugs several times and have yet
to make any real sense of it.  Trust our government to create a
program that defies comprehension. I have got to deal with this on
account of my DH, so can't ignore it:-(

I do clearly see how the prescription drug programs will increase the
bottom line of the providers of the plans but am not so sure they'll
reduce that of the participants.

The only 'red' that I see in our leader's proposal, so cogently
stated below,  is the ink on my bottom line.  I've paid a wad for SS
over the past 50 years.  If the surplus that used to exist had been
invested and kept in the fund instead of spent on other stuff by
every administration since inception, there wouldn't be a pending
funding problem IMO.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Shadyside Garden Designs

Recently some of you on the list said you were slogging through the

new

medicare choices. I received the following explanation from someone

when

it first came out but deleted it. I'm glad to say that my sister

just

sent it to me again and I thought it might be of some help to you.

Kitty

President Bush Explains Medicare Drug Bill > >



WOMAN IN AUDIENCE: "I don't really understand. How is the new



plan going to fix the problem?"





PRESIDENT BUSH: (Verbatim response) > > "Because the -- all



which is



on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example,



how



benefits are calculated, for example, is on the table. Whether or



not



benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's



a



series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when



you



couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those --



changing



those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been



promised



more likely to be -- or closer delivered to that has been promised.



Does



that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a



series



of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are



calculated



based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of



prices.



Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise



based



upon inflation, supposed to wage increases. There is a reform that



would



help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words,



how



fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those



-- if



that growth is affected, it will help on the red."


Forward this to others -- so they, too, can understand...





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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Hardiness Zone 10
Heat Zone 10
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]
Maximum 100 F [38 C]

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