How would Medicare for All Work? Medicare today is viable because people have paid 30+ years into

[graeme_macquarrie]

68. Those billions are reserves...

Medicare isn't required to maintain reserves, since it draws directly from the U.S. Treasury to pay claims. Better than 50% of Medicare dollars come from the general fund. Medicare does not have to live within limitations of premiums collected.

I was a Medicare Hearing Officer for a number of years, presiding over administrative hearings on claims denied based on medical necessity, Medicare regulations or payment limitations or in some cases poor medical practice or over provision of services. Medicare denies claims regularly too.

Medicare, (HHS), contracts all it's claims processing, data processing and medical administration out to large insurance companies such as CIGNA, Blue Cross and Blue Shield and United HealthCare. All Medicare enrollment, premium billing and collection, patient tracking and communication are actually done by the Social Security Administration, so yes their expenses look low