Thursday Links

Posted on by John C. Goodman

The Pilgrims’ real Thanksgiving lesson

Was the original Thanksgiving a celebration of the massacre of Indians? No. That’s woke propaganda.

How to get 8 countries  to cooperate on cancer drug research: Start the project before telling any of the regulators.

Bidenflation: Employer health insurance costs are up 7%; Obamacare exchange plans are up 6%.

Why are those who supported the Covid lockdowns trying to suppress research showing that the lockdowns didn’t work?

CDC: Last year’s flu shot was less than 50 percent effective for children and adolescents.

1 thought on “Thursday Links”

  1. Yes the 2024 Medicare Part B base premium increases by 6% to $174.90. But there’s more to the story.

    By law, the Part B premium that participants pay is set each year at roughly 25% of the expected Part B cost (“roughly” because certain adjustments apply). That means the full Part B premium for 2024 is about $700 per month per participant. Taxpayers subsidize 75% of that premium.

    Part A is fully-subsidized by taxpayers for participants who have 40 quarters of Medicare-covered employment. That’s 99% of us. Others must pay a monthly premium which is not fully-subsidized. The maximum is $505 per month per participant.

    Together, the full, unsubsidized Part A plus Part B premiums for 2024 are $1,205 per participant, per month, or $14,500 per participant, per year. Obviously a couple is double that, $29,000.

    Wait. Still more.

    Part A has several copays. There is a deductible for each time you are admitted to a hospital. In 2024 that deductible is $1,632. After that, Part A pays just about all your hospital expenses for 60 days. The next 30 days require a daily copay of $408. After that 90 days, the daily copay doubles to $816. And after the 150th day of confinement, Medicare Part A coverage ceases.

    Part B in 2024 has an annual deductible of $240. After that Medicare pays 80% of charges Medicare approves, without limit. That means the 20% each participant is responsible for, also has no limit. As with Part A, Part B Medicare becomes prohibitively expensive for the most serious conditions.

    Two things are obvious
    1. Medicare Parts A and B is expensive insurance, and
    2. Medicare Parts A and B have many types of “cost sharing” that can add up fast

    Clearly people who participate in “Original Medicare” (Part A and Part B only) do not have adequate coverage. That statement is based on Original Medicare coverage compared to what Obamacare requires private insurance to cover. To be adequately covered, participants must either

    1. Buy a private, Medicare Supplement policy (Medigap) – at their own expense, or
    2. Switch to a private Medicare Advantage coverage (technically, Medicare Part C).

    At last count, about 50% of seniors have chosen Medicare Advantage. Another 40% have Original Medicare plus some form of supplemental coverage, either Medigap or Medicaid. Only 10% or so anre covered by Original Medicare only.

    Reply

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