We should stop saying Medicare for all and

[wasupaloopa]

single payer in the same sentence as if they are interchangeable ideas.

I have Medicare but I don't have single payer. They are two different things.

Individuals pay for their Medicare coverage.

I had to choose what insurance company to buy my part B, part D and supplemental from.

If Medicare for all is not like my Medicare it isn't Medicare at all.

Single payer is paid for with tax revenue not by the individuals covered like Medicare.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Medicare coverage mostly comes from years of payment into FICA.

So it does come from taxes. There is no charge for Part A (hospitalization). The relatively small amount Medicare recipients pay for Part B (other medical) is deducted from their Social Security checks if they choose "traditional" government Medicare, but it does not come close to covering the amounts paid out. You have the choice to buy part B ("Medicare advantage" ) and supplemental coverage from a private insurer. Most of Medicare is, in fact, paid by tax revenue, and if you choose traditional A and B coverage it would be considered single payer.

[SharonClark]

4. I'm a newbie to Medicare but this is what I learned from a "Getting Ready for Medicare" class

Medicare Part A covers your hospital expenses. This includes hospital stays, skilled nursing care (as long as custodial care isn’t the only care you need), hospice, and home health-care services. Part A services may require you to pay various deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments.

Many people qualify for premium-free Part A because they or their spouse paid taxes toward Medicare while working for at least 10 years (or 40 quarters). But otherwise, you may have to pay a monthly premium.

Medicare Part B is your health insurance coverage. It covers two types of services, including medically necessary services to treat illnesses or conditions, such as doctor’s office visits, lab work, x-rays, and outpatient surgeries, and preventive services to keep you healthy, like cancer screenings and flu shots. Part B also covers medically necessary durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers to treat a disease or condition. Costs for Part B services vary, but frequently, you will pay a deductible and then 20% of the Medicare-approved amount, as long as you use providers who accept Medicare assignment.

Most people pay a premium for Part B. Even if you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that provides your Part A and Part B benefits, you still have to pay your Part B premium.

[bronxiteforever]

5. Agree. How is it funded?

( hospital fund)

Payroll taxes paid by most employees, employers, and people who are self-employed
Other sources, like income taxes paid on Social Security benefits, interest earned on the trust fund investments, and Medicare Part A premiums from people who aren't eligible for premium-free.

Supplemental Medical Insurance
How is it funded?

Funds authorized by Congress
Premiums from people enrolled in Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) and Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D)
Other sources, like interest earned on the trust fund investments
What does it pay for?

Part B benefits
Part D
Medicare Program administration, like costs for paying benefits and for combating fraud and abuse

https://www.medicare.gov/about-us/how-medicare-is-funded/medicare-funding.html

[wasupaloopa]

6. I disagree. When we say tax revenue we mean

the taxes we all pay to cover a multitude of giverment programs.

Medicare part A is paid buy individual withholdings from salary and buy the employer. That is not "taxes".

Taking part B out of social security that was also a witholding from salariy and employer payments is not "taxes"

Taking it out of social security is just a convenience rather than making monthly payments.

Part D is paid for by individuals through insurance as is suplimental.

[bronxiteforever]

7. Wrong 41% of Medicare funding comes from general revenues.

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).

Jul 24, 2015 Kaiser Foundation
http://www.kff.org/medicare/fact-sheet/medicare-spending-and-financing-fact-sheet/

[wasupaloopa]

8. Yes I left that out my fault. My main idea

is that single payer is not paid by premiums as Medicare is. So we should not think Medicare for all and single payer are the same thing.

Senator Sanders says Medicare for all some times and single payer other times and we may think they are the same thing.

[bronxiteforever]

10. No worries!

[brooklynite]

2. We should stop saying "Single Payer" and "Medicare for All" completely...

The goal is universal health care; the mechanics are a issue for a later day.

[leftstreet]

3. 'universal health care' means 'insurance' for everyone

Politicians have gotten all the juice they can out of that phrase

People have wised up

[HockeyMom]

9. My Medicare Part B is from the Government

I did not have to shop around for private insurance for it. Same for Part D. You can have both without a private insurer being involved. Yes, you are charged for Part B/D, but not for Part A if you have enough working years into it.

[marybourg]

11. There is nothing about the phrase "single payer" that implies it's free.

There is also nothing in the phrase that implies it pays every last penny of each bill. It doesn't imply that patients didn't contribute earlier, or concurrently through taxes and/or co-pays.. Where else do you think the money will come from?

It implies that a single payer, that is the government, is the primary payer of everyone's medical bills. That's all. Geeze Louise, don't we already have enough contention?