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Like ObamaCare - Bernie’s Medicare-For-All will Cost YouBy Brent Smith September 25, 2017 Did you hear the good news? The left appears to be giving up on single-payer healthcare – or at least is one leftist.
Okay – not quite. Actually not at all. Socialist front man, and member of the richest 1 percent, Bernie Sanders, who has pushed single-payer for a while now, no longer speaks of it.
Sanders now trumpets Medicare-for-all. It’s the same thing. He just changed the name to something probably focus-group tested that sounds more attractive. Bernie wishes “to provide quality care to all, in a cost effective way.” He states that, “while your taxes may [will] go up to pay for this publically funded program, that expense will be more than offset by the money you are saving by the elimination of private insurance.”
By saying it’s publically funded, it sounds like he’s selling it as free healthcare for all – and I’ll guarantee you, this is what his followers are hearing. Well, it’s not free. He never says anything about how much the “free” government system will cost you and me. Anyone currently on Medicare can confirm it is hardly “free.”
First, as Sanders admits, are increased taxes. How much will this be? No one knows. Know one can possibly know. Just be assured that it will be significant.
I know little about Medicare, so I went to the source to acquire the cost of free “Medicare-for-all” - that being Medicare.gov.
On top of increased taxes is the cost of Medicare insurance itself. Everyone starts with Medicare Part A. It’s free, right? Yes and no. “Most people don't pay a monthly premium for Part A - sometimes called premium-free Part A.” But this only applies if you are 65 years or older. Under 65 and the standard Part A premium is $227 per month. However, “If you paid Medicare taxes for less than 30 quarters [7.5 years], the standard Part A premium is $413 [per month].”
In other words, the young and healthy will continue to get screwed, just as they do under ObamaCare. For the first 7.5 years of your working life, you will pay $413 per month.
This is, of course, on top of your astronomical college loan payments. And like ObamaCare, there will be no opt-out. You young and healthy will be forced to buy. Oh, and there is a deductible of $1316 per benefit period.
Remember – these are current costs. Add subsidized millions to the roles, and premiums will skyrocket, as they have under ObamaCare.
But wait – I’m not done. Not even close. Medicare has lots of “Parts” - each one with its own distinct monthly premium.
Let’s move on to Bernie’s Medicare-for-all, Part B. In most cases, if you have Part A (which you will be forced to purchase under Bernie’s plan), “you must also have Medicare Part B and pay monthly premiums for both. The standard Part B premium amount is $134 (or higher depending on your income).” However, “most people who get Social Security benefits will pay less than this amount ($109 on average).” It also comes with a deductible of $183 per year. After this deductible is met you still pay 20% of all costs incurred.
How is it looking so far, to all you young socialist Bernie supporters? Free Medicare-for-all is great! So far it’s only costing you $547 per month in premiums (which will increase annually), plus deductibles (which will also increase) and a hefty tax hike.
You can add Medicare Part C at additional cost, for things like vision, dental and hearing coverage. This can range from about $30 to $200 per month. Then there is the addition of Medicare Part D, for coverage of prescription drugs. This will run an additional $10-$100 per month, with a deductible of $400 per year.
Hey – we’re almost done. You can purchase Medicare plans F & G. This additional $50 per month will cover excess charges to Medicare Part B. They don’t kick in until a deductible, north of $2,100 per year, is met.
This is Bernie’s free Medicare-for-all. And like ObamaCare, many enrollees will be subsidized to limit their out-of-pocket expense. This means, like ObamaCare, the rest of us will be stuck paying more and more every year.
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 Brent Smith, "The Common Constitutionalist," offers not just conservative commentary and analysis, but a blend of politics, history, arts, science, and humor. Whoever said conservatives aren’t funny? Yeah, I know…most people. Brent is a contributing writer for numerous online publications. When he is not burning the midnight oil writing his insightful commentaries, he is raising his two teenage sons to be patriots and Conservatives.Visit Brent Smith's website at www.commonconstitutionalist.com
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