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Originally Posted by Red05  I still think that a paid National health plan, much like Social Security is paid, would work. |
The Government mishandled the Social Security funds, so why to you think they can handle the health care funds?
The surplus revenues "borrowed" from Social Security to, artifically, lower and disguise the true size of the U.S./Federal annual budget deficit and the ever-growing national debt has never been repaid. Either as a payment to the"fictional" trust fund/s of either program or to subsidize future payments or benefits. As long as there is a tax revenue"surplus", the law does not require this to be done. Which is why these taxes continue be raisedand benefitscut.
In the 1980's, Social Security payroll taxes were increased and benefits were cut by raising the retirement age/s for those born after 1945 and eliminating college education benefits which surviving dependents had been receiving, until then. This was all done to increase the size of the Social Security "surplus" revenues.
Social Security and Medicare "surplus" revenues are always made part of the annual federal revenue stream. Again! To mislead the tax-paying public by, artificially reducing and disguising the true size of the annual U.S. Federal Budget deficit and ever growing National Debt.
In the 1990's, Social Security benefits, paid to recipients, began to be treated, for the 1st time,as taxable income. For U.S.Income Tax purposes. After 2000, some Medicare recipients are, now, forced to pay higher monthly Medicare premiums, deducted from their monthly Social Security payments, on the basis of income levels which are inflated by the wrongful taxation of those same monthly payments.
Many medical procedures, for which patients were covered by their health insurance policies, prior to retirement and receiving Social Security and Medicare, are no longer covered and provided by Medicare. These same medical services are declared, wrongly, as "medically unnecessary". This is just a form of health care rationing, for medical services (paid for, in advance, by the retiree during their years of working and paying Social Security and Medicare taxes) which, in turn, will result in shorter life spans for many. Again! Another cut in benefits.