Medicare is not free

I don't visit many other blogs but one of my favorites is Masson's Blog which you'll see in my Blog List over on the right hand side of this page.

In response to his latest posted blog, one comment from a reader really made me chuckle. He stated, "Medicare is for the aged. It is basically free health insurance, (with deductibles)."

Retirees on Medicare will certainly get a chuckle out of that nonsense.

Medicare Part A is hospital insurance and is paid with his payroll taxes and collected by Social Security.

Medicare Part B is for medical insurance and is paid to the government at a cost of about $100 per month or so and it pays 80% of the covered expenses.

Medicare Supplement is purchased by the retiree at various premium prices and covers the 20% of covered expenses that Medicare doesn't pay.

Medicare Part D is for prescription drug costs and also have various prices for coverage through about 50 or so companies in Indiana.

There is a nasty deal called Medicare Advantage which claims to provide coverage at no premium cost but they really get you through high deductibles and they really sock it to you when you see the medical bills.

Original Medicare is great and everyone should be on it.