What's Medicare:
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).
Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis or a transplant, sometimes called ESRD).
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance)
Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hospice care, and some home health care.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance)
Part B covers certain doctors' services, outpatient care, medical supplies, and preventive services.
--Medicare.gov
Medicare is a topic of large debate recently. As stated above, anybody over the age of 65 are eligible for Medicare. This has come under fire lately because of the baby boom generation. Since there were so many people that are now eligible for Medicare, doctors are not sure if there are enough people in the United States that are paying social security to cover the cost of all of the members of Medicare.
Another problem surrounding Medicare is the average life expectancy in the United States is on the rise. As of 2012, the life expectancy is 78.74 years. To put that in perspective, the life expectancy in 1965, the year Medicare was established, was 70.22 years. That's an extra 8.52 years that people are getting free medical care.
One solution to fixing the medicare plan is to raise the age of eligibility. Some say that the average age should be above 70 years, some even higher. Another solution is to raise the amount that people pay for social security each year. In my opinion, the Medicare age should be raised instead of the social security rate being changed. This way, citizens would not be paying for each person to go through around 13 years of Medicare on average.
Image URL: http://www.medicaresolutions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/medicare2.jpg
Another problem surrounding Medicare is the average life expectancy in the United States is on the rise. As of 2012, the life expectancy is 78.74 years. To put that in perspective, the life expectancy in 1965, the year Medicare was established, was 70.22 years. That's an extra 8.52 years that people are getting free medical care.One solution to fixing the medicare plan is to raise the age of eligibility. Some say that the average age should be above 70 years, some even higher. Another solution is to raise the amount that people pay for social security each year. In my opinion, the Medicare age should be raised instead of the social security rate being changed. This way, citizens would not be paying for each person to go through around 13 years of Medicare on average.
Image URL: http://www.medicaresolutions.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/medicare2.jpg
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