Aromas, CA : Medicare Once Again Under Fire : View From A Private Duty Caregiver Serving, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Gonzalez, Gilroy, Hollister, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside & Soledad California
Politicians just can't seem to let go of the enticing idea of slashing Social Security and Medicare. The front page of this Sunday's Monterey Herald blasted, "The heated debate over the federal deficit has pumped new life into controversial proposals for requiring Americans on Medicare to pay more for their health care, raising the possibility that seniors' medical bills could jump hundreds, or even thousands of dollars." It was just a couple of days ago that it appeared that budget talks had completely collapsed. According to the Herald, however, the idea of cutting Medicare has gained so much traction that it's a target, if not this year then the next. "Over the long haul, beneficiaries will have to pay more and taxpayers will have to pay more," said Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution. This will translate into higher copays, deductables and premiums for seniors on Medicare. The cost of Medicare to taxpayers is now expected to double over the next decade to almost $1 trillion, and lawmakers are itching to pass some of this cost onto seniors themselves in light of the growing budget deficit. Current premiums are $141/month with an $1,132 deductable for hospital visits, although many seniors pick up a supplemental insurance package which can reduce deductables and copays. Households with at least one person on Medicare now spend $4,620 a year on average on medical expenses (in 2009, the last year for which data was available), according to the Kaiser Foundation. They currently pay about one-sixth of their income on medical expenses, but that's expected to rise to 26.4% over the next decade, according to the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Funds. What a sad situation for the huge number of baby boomers getting ready to retire.
http://www.montereyherald.com-http://www.montereyherald.com">http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_18495134?IADID=Search-http://www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=monterey-ca-social-security-payments
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
Politicians just can't seem to let go of the enticing idea of slashing Social Security and Medicare. The front page of this Sunday's Monterey Herald blasted, "The heated debate over the federal deficit has pumped new life into controversial proposals for requiring Americans on Medicare to pay more for their health care, raising the possibility that seniors' medical bills could jump hundreds, or even thousands of dollars." It was just a couple of days ago that it appeared that budget talks had completely collapsed. According to the Herald, however, the idea of cutting Medicare has gained so much traction that it's a target, if not this year then the next. "Over the long haul, beneficiaries will have to pay more and taxpayers will have to pay more," said Henry Aaron of the Brookings Institution. This will translate into higher copays, deductables and premiums for seniors on Medicare. The cost of Medicare to taxpayers is now expected to double over the next decade to almost $1 trillion, and lawmakers are itching to pass some of this cost onto seniors themselves in light of the growing budget deficit. Current premiums are $141/month with an $1,132 deductable for hospital visits, although many seniors pick up a supplemental insurance package which can reduce deductables and copays. Households with at least one person on Medicare now spend $4,620 a year on average on medical expenses (in 2009, the last year for which data was available), according to the Kaiser Foundation. They currently pay about one-sixth of their income on medical expenses, but that's expected to rise to 26.4% over the next decade, according to the Board of Trustees of the Federal Hospital Insurance and Federal Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Funds. What a sad situation for the huge number of baby boomers getting ready to retire.
http://www.montereyherald.com-http://www.montereyherald.com">http://www.montereyherald.com/ci_18495134?IADID=Search-http://www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/blog/index.html?entry=monterey-ca-social-security-payments
About Richard Kuehn & Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey:
After more than a decade of caregiving, both in a professional environment and for a 97 year old family member I was dissatisfied with service from local caregiving agencies. I became convinced of the need for a service which provides very personal assistance to the elderly and founded Family inHome Caregiving serving the Monterey Peninsula. Please visit my blog where I talk about important senior issues at:
http://www.familyinhomecaregiving.com/Blog
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