When I heard that the CEO of UHC wasn’t asassinated I knew that there was more to the story. I found out that UHC has the highest rate of denial of service of all health care insurers. Murder, of course, should never be an option but that also includes the people that UHC has murdered by neglect. Can you imagine the anger and frustration that drove this person to do this?
Let’s clean up health care once and for all, and solve the gun problem while we are at it.
The CEO was an hit by an insider, the hit man knew his target, his schedule, his route of travel and was waiting for him, letting others pass by.. Brian was perceived as a threat by someone inside the organization or even AHIP (Association of Health Insurance Providers)
Yes... and that Healmedicare caampign is led by the OG single payer folks at PNHP which im part of). Fighting corporate takeover of public Medicare as is, is important part of fighting for M4A.
Part A pays 100% Part B only pays 80%. That 20% puts a lot of people into debt.
We just got our bills. Besides Part B we also buy BC/BC Federal to cover. Better than being pound foolish. We see people who thought they had "full coverge" but the caps were exceeded or Medicare denied the claim.
Medicare is as complete as the British NHS or the Canadian/ Ontario coverage. Where I live, we have foreigners or people with dual citizenship who opt for other care. Some insurers will pay for vacations so that treatment is perfored in a foreign country where costs ate a tenth of US costs.
Thom, the predicament for many like us is that you own a modest home, and paying property taxes is still less expensive than renting a house or apartment. You need to understand the gravity of the situation for those who cannot afford a gap policy and could owe a considerable amount for the 20% not covered. The house could be foreclosed, resulting in homelessness or, worse, being parked in a storage facility for poor older adults, commonly known as a nursing home.
Although I'm not a gambler, I understand that Medicare Advantage must pay 80% of claims. Are my odds of staying in our home greater if I bet on Medicare Advantage instead of owing the 20% that Medicare doesn't pay?
Maybe they have an excuse to upcode me enough that they'll want to keep me because I cost less than what they get from the Medicare trust fund. We shouldn't have to be stressed this way in our senior years. The reason I don't have much more money than I do, to begin with, is because of the way we don't pay for healthcare. I was let go from many jobs when I became eligible for health benefits due to a preexisting condition of which I was unaware, but insurers knew about.
So, what's the answer if you can't afford the gap policy? Thanks for explaining the situation to those who can afford the Medicare gap insurance so they are not scammed by Medicare Advantage.
This article demonstrates how privatizing certain sectors of the economy essential for health, life, and happiness, instead of keeping them in public hands, ultimately drains public resources and causes human suffering on a grand scale. Privatization means "profitization" — taking more money than what a thing costs. With socialization, however, the government takes no money above the cost.
So, on its face, it's just plain dumb for taxpayers to spend their blood and treasure on something their government does for a lot less since it doesn't skim profits. (Add in the blood when inhumane private insurance companies juice their "profits" — taxpayer money — by denying healthcare or when uncaring industries pollute the land, air, water, and food.)
It comes down to the question: What is the purpose of government? Should our taxes go toward providing vital services for citizens who otherwise can't afford them, such as healthcare and education, and maintaining things we own collectively, like national forests and the military? Or should our hard-earned tax dollars be used to provide unseemly profits for the private sector?
Our forefathers (and mothers) used the terms "the commons" and "free enterprise" instead of "socialism" and "capitalism" in modern parlance. Ideally, like most things in nature, the founders sought a reasonable balance between the two, though, naturally, they did not always succeed. Today, for example, you don't want the government to manufacture shirts and cars, and you don't want private companies running healthcare and the military. Each has its proper place and function in a healthy society.
But brain-dead right-wingers have upset the balance by demonizing the word socialism because their money lords, "masters of the universe," want to privatize — monetize — everything they get their greedy little hands on, including YOUR tax dollars and critical government services, costing citizens unduly their blood and treasure, and many times their very lives.
I found a number for the Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) for my state (NV) on the back of my Medicare 2025 booklet. I called and they got back to me within a couple of days. The lady was very helpful. She told me that I could sign up for a supplemental plan and I would then be automatically dis-enrolled in Medicare DIS-Advantage. She said there is also a window of time in the first few months next year to make the switch, since I have an appointment with an orthopedic specialist in Jan. and don't want to have to start over with that process now. Presumably every state has a number on the back of the booklet for that state's helpline. I did not know I was on Medicare DIS-Advantage until two or three years ago after hearing Thom talk about it. I believe I switched when I signed a form online believing that I was signing a regular Medicare form about 7 or 8 years ago. I failed to read the fine print.
It amazes me how many misunderstand Medicare. A Medicare supplement is not 'original' Medicare, which consists of Part A and Part B. People need a supplement or an advantage plan to cover Part B's cost exposure. Part B plays 80% of outpatient costs, but it is uncapped. That means if the bill is $100K, your responsibility is $20K. And on and on and on. So you have to have either a supplement or an Advantage plan.
A supplement costs anywhere from $100 monthly to over $500, depending on your age. You also need to purchase a drug card. After the age of 65 when supplements have to accept you regardless of health condition, you have to go through underwriting like in the bad old days before Obamacare. Many people simply cannot afford a supplement. Try to understand this. They don't have the money.
A Medicare Advantage plan in many ways, is a godsend. Everyone has to be accepted if they have Medicare. No health underwriting. The trade off is Advantage plans are network plans. Supplements are not. That means that if you have an HMO plan, you have to get a referral from your primary care physician. If you are on a PPO plan, you have to use doctors in the network. Now, many old farts think this is horrific. It's not. Advantage plans are very good and their emphasis is on wellness not billing. The incentive for doctors is to keep you well and try to avoid major surgeries or health issues. I think this is a great benefit of advantage plans on the street level. If we were to have a national health plan, I would pattern it on a Medicare Advantage plan, not a supplement plan. Of course, capitalist greed is always an issue.
I recommend that unless you are relatively wealthy, have houses in different states or countries, travel a great deal, having an advantage plan is a terrific health plan. If you are on an advantage plan and you feel you've been misstreated, call CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) and launch a complaint. That's the power you have. The only way these companies can increase their compensation is through the Star rating. Complaints is a major component of that rating. The lower the star rating, the lower the compensation for the company. You have the power.
As I mentioned elsewhere here I have Kaiser. I have had Kaiser for 20 years and basically like them a lot. If somehow The Advantage plan I am on with them (as of 3 years) works fine. Where is the "abuse" here? I do not see it. Or I have no option. I cannot get Kaiser + Medicare without the Advantage aspect. What am I missing? Kaiser does not deny me coverage. For me to get off the Advantage plan I would have to leave Kaiser and I do not see a better option.
Obviously you aren't seriously ill yet. I'm on Advantage by accident as I thought I was signing up for the supplement to Regular Medicare. I'm in decent shape but my doctor wanted to to get a colonoscopy and endoscopy. I have acid reflux and the specialist gave me a medication to heal my esophagus and scheduled a second endoscopy to determine if it was healed. Unexpectedly I received a $250 copay for the first one and another $250 for the future one. No way I can cover that. I'm making payments on the first and cancelled the second test. That's how I am advantaged and I'm not really sick.
Moon Cat. Sorry to hear you are having problems. Who is your agent? How did you sign up without knowing what you were signing up for? What plan are you on? If your doctor ordered a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, why hasn't it been done. You do have copay's . If you are low income, you should contact your state for what is known as 'extra help.' If you'd like a Medicare supplement, you have two days to apply. It will cost you a lot more than the colonoscopy and the endoscopy, just be aware of this. You can contact me anytime if you need guidance and/or help.
I've always thought it was obvious when the insurance industry spent hundreds of millions of dollars on endless commercials to entice seniors that it had to be an obscenely large cash-cow. The only problem with real Medicare are the countless doctors, particularly specialists, that refuse to take it. The root cause, of course, are the lower rates of compensation that Medicare provides. This could at least partially be ameliorated without the billions of dollars given away to the private insurance companies. Doctors, nurses, health care workers deserve to be rewarded for their dedication and expertise, but all health care services, from hospitals to insurers, should be non-profit. Health care decisions based upon profit are nothing short of barbaric.
Generally speaking, providers have a choice: get paid less for their services through Medicare and a supplemental plan or risk getting nothing because Medicare Advantage plans deny their services. You are absolutely right that "This could at least partially be ameliorated without the billions of dollars given away to the private insurance companies."
The problem is Medigap plans are only required to provide coverage for first Medicare enrollment period. After that, they can deny coverage or charge higher premiums. Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act does not generally apply to Medigap plans making this a risky choice for some.
Thank you for this comment. People need to know. I signed up for an Advantage plan when I was healthy. I have since had cancer, and as you said, I would probably be denied, or at least charged a much higher premium.
It is overcomplicated. I am a health economist and it still took me some time to wade through it enough to make sure my dad (who has cancer and other conditions) has enough coverage. I do think you can switch over to an Advantage plan from a gap plan. At least as long as ACA is in effect. I hope you are better now.
It should be against the law to target seniors with the “advantage” garbage. The people conning these poor elderly people are extremely aggressive therefore there’s a LOT of profit in it.
To this day, I can't understand why big business has not endorsed Medicare, to lay off its exposure for employee fringe benefits. If the collateral source rule were eliminated the cost of virgtually all private insurance should drop like a rock. In litifgation, Medicare would cover all future medical damages. The indemnity cost of insurance is miniscule compared to future medical.
Most people are unaware that Medicare has a springing inchoate lien on future medical benefits.
Notice the top institutional shareholders are Vanguard, Blackrock and State street Group, which are also the major institutional shareholders in most of our media, chemical, defense, petroleum, and agricultural corporations. including investment bankers like Goldman Sachs.
Employee benefits are tax deductible, while also a source of income for Vanguard, Blackrock, State Sreet, Bank of America, etc.
It is simply the transfer of money from one pocket to another.
Wow, William. I recently saw a video of a well-known older economist who explained that the world has circulating fictitious capital, and the problem is so huge that there seems to be no solution. Then I saw a video of a woman who wrote a book about modern monetary theory that said we can print all the money we need and should stop trying to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for social programs. How does she solve the inflation problem when there is more money than goods in circulation? The remedy is supposed to be raising taxes. If we don't tax the wealthy, then the way to curb inflation will be to tax the rest of us.
I wonder which morbidly wealthy villain supported her authoring such a book—a descendant of the guy who thought of the "trickle-down theory" to fool the working class?
Inflation is not caused by money in circulation It is caused by the interest on the debt on money in circulation. I've posted this at least 25 times and including to you.
Where did I say we shouldn't tax the rich anyway?
Money is not printed by the government to pay it's bills, thus the claim that we can print all the money we need is incorrect, unless we resort to a fiat money vs debt money system, But then as money is printed it stays in circulation until it is threadbare, But the real money today is not printed, it is the form of bytes, O's and 1's transmitted electronically.
I occasionally print money, it is called a check.
Ours is a fractional reserve monetary system, more accurately, a debt money system.
All money in existence came into existence via debt, and that means all debt government, corporate, private, even the credit card and mortgage.
Such debt created money goes out of existence,as the debt is paid off, in other words wiped off the books, double entry book keeping.
What is not created with the issuance of debt, is the money to pay the interest on the debt.
There is just you and I, You loan me $100 at 10%, in a year I owe you $110, but there is only $100 in existence, Where do I get the $10? That is the cause of inflation.
Flooding the zone with debt will increase the money supply in the short run, and create a temporary inflation, but it is the interest on the debt, accumulated, that causes long term inflation.
Temporary inflation price of eggs, milk, gas
Long term inflation, is what a $.05 candy bar in 1960 costs $1.50 today.
Why a car that costs $2,000 in 1965 costs $35,000 today
Why a house that costs $9,000 in 1960 costs over a quarter of a million today.
Why the property I bought for $240,000 in 2001, is taxed at $650,000 today
I hate to lay this on you but I'm pretty sure Putin et al are working 24/7 to make our currency worthless. They accused us of doing it to the Soviet Union. Probably was true in Cuba, other psy op targets.
BRIC has incorporated some of our important "allies" like the Saudis, who have been undermining our economy since 1973, at the same time coincidentally, Nixosan let the dollar float.
I also think our current "inflation" was self induced. A product of politics to hurt Dems. A product of greed. It started when Trump, as president, with OPEC limited production to raise energy prices.
Today Bitcoin, a ficticious currency, a figment of somebody's imagination, crossed the $100,000 per coin threeshhold. Shades of the Dutch tulib bulb panic. In 2008 one (1) coin cost $.05. Who knew? Imagine if the SSA trust fund were held in 2008 Bitcoin?
No worries Daniel I am right there with you. I have predicted that the Yuan will be the default reserve currency, and why not they and Saudi Arabia hold most of our Treasury debt, and Trump is going to tank our economy in the name of profits and fearful masculinity.
I don't understand the bitcoin mindset. It started from people who have been casting aspersions on the dollar because it is not backed by gold, but the full faith and credit of the United States.
Bitcoins are a total fiction, not even backed by the full faith and credit of anything
If the SS Trust fund were in bit coin, it would go bust, they moment that bitcoin fell. And which bitcoin, so many bit coins so little time.
To me bitcoin is like the stock market, you need inside knowledege as to when to get in and when to get out.
The corruption stinks so high it is hard to understand the way these things can stand. Much like the darkness of voter registration which is totally unnecessary as such a thing is a party system and not what is needed for voting. Signatures are more than sufficient to keep anyone from pretending to be someone else who does not have the right to vote. Another reason single payer healthcare is not wanted by the corrupt gang is that it is common for those government issued cards as proof of one's right to vote as most nations do. Thanks Repubs for corrupting our nation and making America less great than it can easily be.
I just needed to get off my chest the old political frustration over Sarah Palin selling the "death panels" slogan when there probably wasn't a family in America that hadn't experienced the insurance company real, actual death panels. Maybe democracy is doomed because "mob rule" is by mass insanity. I mean, what Palestinian-American actually wanted to trade in Joe Biden for the guy who was/is going to tell Netanyahu, kill them all? What Latino immigrant didn't get the part about some badge holding you up because you look sort of hispanic?
It is simply morally corrupt to profit off the health concerns of people. The racket in this country within the private sector is hard to believe. They actually feel that they are incredibly smart and cunning to be able to sucker their fellow citizens into their particular scam. Now we have their champion of privatization coming into unlimited power. The biggest problem with privatization is they never factor in greed as the main element within this sector. There is no respect for the commons any more. You are seen as a rube if you stand agains their greed and self pontifications. You are labeled a socialist or communist if you bring up the subject of the commons.
I have Medicare plus a "G" Medigap plan and am happy with it, but am still getting screwed by the Part D coverage I'm required to carry. I never use it, as the deductible exceeds the "full coach fare" drug price at Amazon pharmacy. Besides that, the formulary is different for each insurance company.
Good read this morning ☕ Thom, what a story to illustrate how corrupt are Healthcare System is?!! Look forward to your show coming up and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
When I heard that the CEO of UHC wasn’t asassinated I knew that there was more to the story. I found out that UHC has the highest rate of denial of service of all health care insurers. Murder, of course, should never be an option but that also includes the people that UHC has murdered by neglect. Can you imagine the anger and frustration that drove this person to do this?
Let’s clean up health care once and for all, and solve the gun problem while we are at it.
UHC denies 32% of claims, double the industry average
According to the nyt, the words delay and deny were inscribed on the bullet casings that were found.
😳 Seriously?
I would like to see this substantiated. I am sure that the police have the casings.
It has been written up and it is on a few YouTube videos.
The CEO was an hit by an insider, the hit man knew his target, his schedule, his route of travel and was waiting for him, letting others pass by.. Brian was perceived as a threat by someone inside the organization or even AHIP (Association of Health Insurance Providers)
How do you know?
As Sherlock Holmes woukd say, it is a matter of deduction. Use your brain, think, evaluate the facts,, come to a conclusion.
Conjecture then.
Deductive reasoning is conjecture. So what. I never said otherwise. Use what brain you have and come to a different conclusion.
The man could have researched when and where the investor's meeting would be and followed him. There are good hackers out there.
You can join the organizing against Medicare disAdvantage (MdA) at:
https://healmedicare.org/
And for more information the harms MdA does to seniors there is this report: https://pnhp.org/system/assets/uploads/2024/06/MAHarmsReportPrint.pdf
And for more in how corporate insurerance companies are ripping off taxpayers with MdA there is this report:
https://pnhp.org/system/assets/uploads/2023/09/MAOverpaymentReport_Final.pdf
Thanks for the information, but we need Medicare for All as soon as possible, and Medicare must pay for 100% of medically necessary care.
Yes... and that Healmedicare caampign is led by the OG single payer folks at PNHP which im part of). Fighting corporate takeover of public Medicare as is, is important part of fighting for M4A.
Part A pays 100% Part B only pays 80%. That 20% puts a lot of people into debt.
We just got our bills. Besides Part B we also buy BC/BC Federal to cover. Better than being pound foolish. We see people who thought they had "full coverge" but the caps were exceeded or Medicare denied the claim.
Medicare is as complete as the British NHS or the Canadian/ Ontario coverage. Where I live, we have foreigners or people with dual citizenship who opt for other care. Some insurers will pay for vacations so that treatment is perfored in a foreign country where costs ate a tenth of US costs.
Thom, the predicament for many like us is that you own a modest home, and paying property taxes is still less expensive than renting a house or apartment. You need to understand the gravity of the situation for those who cannot afford a gap policy and could owe a considerable amount for the 20% not covered. The house could be foreclosed, resulting in homelessness or, worse, being parked in a storage facility for poor older adults, commonly known as a nursing home.
Although I'm not a gambler, I understand that Medicare Advantage must pay 80% of claims. Are my odds of staying in our home greater if I bet on Medicare Advantage instead of owing the 20% that Medicare doesn't pay?
Maybe they have an excuse to upcode me enough that they'll want to keep me because I cost less than what they get from the Medicare trust fund. We shouldn't have to be stressed this way in our senior years. The reason I don't have much more money than I do, to begin with, is because of the way we don't pay for healthcare. I was let go from many jobs when I became eligible for health benefits due to a preexisting condition of which I was unaware, but insurers knew about.
So, what's the answer if you can't afford the gap policy? Thanks for explaining the situation to those who can afford the Medicare gap insurance so they are not scammed by Medicare Advantage.
This article demonstrates how privatizing certain sectors of the economy essential for health, life, and happiness, instead of keeping them in public hands, ultimately drains public resources and causes human suffering on a grand scale. Privatization means "profitization" — taking more money than what a thing costs. With socialization, however, the government takes no money above the cost.
So, on its face, it's just plain dumb for taxpayers to spend their blood and treasure on something their government does for a lot less since it doesn't skim profits. (Add in the blood when inhumane private insurance companies juice their "profits" — taxpayer money — by denying healthcare or when uncaring industries pollute the land, air, water, and food.)
It comes down to the question: What is the purpose of government? Should our taxes go toward providing vital services for citizens who otherwise can't afford them, such as healthcare and education, and maintaining things we own collectively, like national forests and the military? Or should our hard-earned tax dollars be used to provide unseemly profits for the private sector?
Our forefathers (and mothers) used the terms "the commons" and "free enterprise" instead of "socialism" and "capitalism" in modern parlance. Ideally, like most things in nature, the founders sought a reasonable balance between the two, though, naturally, they did not always succeed. Today, for example, you don't want the government to manufacture shirts and cars, and you don't want private companies running healthcare and the military. Each has its proper place and function in a healthy society.
But brain-dead right-wingers have upset the balance by demonizing the word socialism because their money lords, "masters of the universe," want to privatize — monetize — everything they get their greedy little hands on, including YOUR tax dollars and critical government services, costing citizens unduly their blood and treasure, and many times their very lives.
Deep, well said.
I found a number for the Medicare Assistance Program (MAP) for my state (NV) on the back of my Medicare 2025 booklet. I called and they got back to me within a couple of days. The lady was very helpful. She told me that I could sign up for a supplemental plan and I would then be automatically dis-enrolled in Medicare DIS-Advantage. She said there is also a window of time in the first few months next year to make the switch, since I have an appointment with an orthopedic specialist in Jan. and don't want to have to start over with that process now. Presumably every state has a number on the back of the booklet for that state's helpline. I did not know I was on Medicare DIS-Advantage until two or three years ago after hearing Thom talk about it. I believe I switched when I signed a form online believing that I was signing a regular Medicare form about 7 or 8 years ago. I failed to read the fine print.
There are some medical providers who waive the 20%
It amazes me how many misunderstand Medicare. A Medicare supplement is not 'original' Medicare, which consists of Part A and Part B. People need a supplement or an advantage plan to cover Part B's cost exposure. Part B plays 80% of outpatient costs, but it is uncapped. That means if the bill is $100K, your responsibility is $20K. And on and on and on. So you have to have either a supplement or an Advantage plan.
A supplement costs anywhere from $100 monthly to over $500, depending on your age. You also need to purchase a drug card. After the age of 65 when supplements have to accept you regardless of health condition, you have to go through underwriting like in the bad old days before Obamacare. Many people simply cannot afford a supplement. Try to understand this. They don't have the money.
A Medicare Advantage plan in many ways, is a godsend. Everyone has to be accepted if they have Medicare. No health underwriting. The trade off is Advantage plans are network plans. Supplements are not. That means that if you have an HMO plan, you have to get a referral from your primary care physician. If you are on a PPO plan, you have to use doctors in the network. Now, many old farts think this is horrific. It's not. Advantage plans are very good and their emphasis is on wellness not billing. The incentive for doctors is to keep you well and try to avoid major surgeries or health issues. I think this is a great benefit of advantage plans on the street level. If we were to have a national health plan, I would pattern it on a Medicare Advantage plan, not a supplement plan. Of course, capitalist greed is always an issue.
I recommend that unless you are relatively wealthy, have houses in different states or countries, travel a great deal, having an advantage plan is a terrific health plan. If you are on an advantage plan and you feel you've been misstreated, call CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid) and launch a complaint. That's the power you have. The only way these companies can increase their compensation is through the Star rating. Complaints is a major component of that rating. The lower the star rating, the lower the compensation for the company. You have the power.
As I mentioned elsewhere here I have Kaiser. I have had Kaiser for 20 years and basically like them a lot. If somehow The Advantage plan I am on with them (as of 3 years) works fine. Where is the "abuse" here? I do not see it. Or I have no option. I cannot get Kaiser + Medicare without the Advantage aspect. What am I missing? Kaiser does not deny me coverage. For me to get off the Advantage plan I would have to leave Kaiser and I do not see a better option.
Obviously you aren't seriously ill yet. I'm on Advantage by accident as I thought I was signing up for the supplement to Regular Medicare. I'm in decent shape but my doctor wanted to to get a colonoscopy and endoscopy. I have acid reflux and the specialist gave me a medication to heal my esophagus and scheduled a second endoscopy to determine if it was healed. Unexpectedly I received a $250 copay for the first one and another $250 for the future one. No way I can cover that. I'm making payments on the first and cancelled the second test. That's how I am advantaged and I'm not really sick.
Moon Cat. Sorry to hear you are having problems. Who is your agent? How did you sign up without knowing what you were signing up for? What plan are you on? If your doctor ordered a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, why hasn't it been done. You do have copay's . If you are low income, you should contact your state for what is known as 'extra help.' If you'd like a Medicare supplement, you have two days to apply. It will cost you a lot more than the colonoscopy and the endoscopy, just be aware of this. You can contact me anytime if you need guidance and/or help.
I've always thought it was obvious when the insurance industry spent hundreds of millions of dollars on endless commercials to entice seniors that it had to be an obscenely large cash-cow. The only problem with real Medicare are the countless doctors, particularly specialists, that refuse to take it. The root cause, of course, are the lower rates of compensation that Medicare provides. This could at least partially be ameliorated without the billions of dollars given away to the private insurance companies. Doctors, nurses, health care workers deserve to be rewarded for their dedication and expertise, but all health care services, from hospitals to insurers, should be non-profit. Health care decisions based upon profit are nothing short of barbaric.
Generally speaking, providers have a choice: get paid less for their services through Medicare and a supplemental plan or risk getting nothing because Medicare Advantage plans deny their services. You are absolutely right that "This could at least partially be ameliorated without the billions of dollars given away to the private insurance companies."
Google news headlines today were that a cascade of providers are refusing "Advantage" patients because of denials. Some tipping point impending?
The problem is Medigap plans are only required to provide coverage for first Medicare enrollment period. After that, they can deny coverage or charge higher premiums. Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act does not generally apply to Medigap plans making this a risky choice for some.
Thank you for this comment. People need to know. I signed up for an Advantage plan when I was healthy. I have since had cancer, and as you said, I would probably be denied, or at least charged a much higher premium.
It is overcomplicated. I am a health economist and it still took me some time to wade through it enough to make sure my dad (who has cancer and other conditions) has enough coverage. I do think you can switch over to an Advantage plan from a gap plan. At least as long as ACA is in effect. I hope you are better now.
Yet another "fix" that needs a new law to tweak what was created to screw American citizens to begin with. Did Nancy give that sop up in compromise?
I am not sure why? I think a new federal rule is in the works but I am not sure where that stands.
It should be against the law to target seniors with the “advantage” garbage. The people conning these poor elderly people are extremely aggressive therefore there’s a LOT of profit in it.
Biden and the Dems attempted unsuccessfully to remove the Medicare from the Medicare Advantage advertising.
You didn’t mention that in many cases, if you have a pre-existing condition, you can’t get a medigap policy after having been on an advantage plan.
Right. Every Republican in Congress during the GWB regime voted to privatize Medicare.
Here in Baghdad By the Sea, we remember that Jeb Bush was implicated in Medicare scams during Reagan. https://madisondems.org/2015/02/20/when-dad-was-vp-jeb-bush-lobbied-the-administration-for-a-medicare-fraudster/
Our former governor, now our senator, wrote the plan to "sunset" all benefits, including his specialty, Medicare. He's the expert.
https://web.archive.org/web/20030702173234/www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2000/Decemost er/696civcrm.htm
To this day, I can't understand why big business has not endorsed Medicare, to lay off its exposure for employee fringe benefits. If the collateral source rule were eliminated the cost of virgtually all private insurance should drop like a rock. In litifgation, Medicare would cover all future medical damages. The indemnity cost of insurance is miniscule compared to future medical.
Most people are unaware that Medicare has a springing inchoate lien on future medical benefits.
United Health care is owned by https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/UNH/holders/
Notice the top institutional shareholders are Vanguard, Blackrock and State street Group, which are also the major institutional shareholders in most of our media, chemical, defense, petroleum, and agricultural corporations. including investment bankers like Goldman Sachs.
Employee benefits are tax deductible, while also a source of income for Vanguard, Blackrock, State Sreet, Bank of America, etc.
It is simply the transfer of money from one pocket to another.
Wow, William. I recently saw a video of a well-known older economist who explained that the world has circulating fictitious capital, and the problem is so huge that there seems to be no solution. Then I saw a video of a woman who wrote a book about modern monetary theory that said we can print all the money we need and should stop trying to raise taxes on the wealthy to pay for social programs. How does she solve the inflation problem when there is more money than goods in circulation? The remedy is supposed to be raising taxes. If we don't tax the wealthy, then the way to curb inflation will be to tax the rest of us.
I wonder which morbidly wealthy villain supported her authoring such a book—a descendant of the guy who thought of the "trickle-down theory" to fool the working class?
Inflation is not caused by money in circulation It is caused by the interest on the debt on money in circulation. I've posted this at least 25 times and including to you.
Where did I say we shouldn't tax the rich anyway?
Money is not printed by the government to pay it's bills, thus the claim that we can print all the money we need is incorrect, unless we resort to a fiat money vs debt money system, But then as money is printed it stays in circulation until it is threadbare, But the real money today is not printed, it is the form of bytes, O's and 1's transmitted electronically.
I occasionally print money, it is called a check.
Ours is a fractional reserve monetary system, more accurately, a debt money system.
All money in existence came into existence via debt, and that means all debt government, corporate, private, even the credit card and mortgage.
Such debt created money goes out of existence,as the debt is paid off, in other words wiped off the books, double entry book keeping.
What is not created with the issuance of debt, is the money to pay the interest on the debt.
There is just you and I, You loan me $100 at 10%, in a year I owe you $110, but there is only $100 in existence, Where do I get the $10? That is the cause of inflation.
Flooding the zone with debt will increase the money supply in the short run, and create a temporary inflation, but it is the interest on the debt, accumulated, that causes long term inflation.
Temporary inflation price of eggs, milk, gas
Long term inflation, is what a $.05 candy bar in 1960 costs $1.50 today.
Why a car that costs $2,000 in 1965 costs $35,000 today
Why a house that costs $9,000 in 1960 costs over a quarter of a million today.
Why the property I bought for $240,000 in 2001, is taxed at $650,000 today
I hate to lay this on you but I'm pretty sure Putin et al are working 24/7 to make our currency worthless. They accused us of doing it to the Soviet Union. Probably was true in Cuba, other psy op targets.
BRIC has incorporated some of our important "allies" like the Saudis, who have been undermining our economy since 1973, at the same time coincidentally, Nixosan let the dollar float.
I also think our current "inflation" was self induced. A product of politics to hurt Dems. A product of greed. It started when Trump, as president, with OPEC limited production to raise energy prices.
Today Bitcoin, a ficticious currency, a figment of somebody's imagination, crossed the $100,000 per coin threeshhold. Shades of the Dutch tulib bulb panic. In 2008 one (1) coin cost $.05. Who knew? Imagine if the SSA trust fund were held in 2008 Bitcoin?
No worries Daniel I am right there with you. I have predicted that the Yuan will be the default reserve currency, and why not they and Saudi Arabia hold most of our Treasury debt, and Trump is going to tank our economy in the name of profits and fearful masculinity.
I don't understand the bitcoin mindset. It started from people who have been casting aspersions on the dollar because it is not backed by gold, but the full faith and credit of the United States.
Bitcoins are a total fiction, not even backed by the full faith and credit of anything
If the SS Trust fund were in bit coin, it would go bust, they moment that bitcoin fell. And which bitcoin, so many bit coins so little time.
To me bitcoin is like the stock market, you need inside knowledege as to when to get in and when to get out.
I researched how much the insurance industry profited in 2023 and found that it was 88 BILLION DOLLARS and rising.
The corruption stinks so high it is hard to understand the way these things can stand. Much like the darkness of voter registration which is totally unnecessary as such a thing is a party system and not what is needed for voting. Signatures are more than sufficient to keep anyone from pretending to be someone else who does not have the right to vote. Another reason single payer healthcare is not wanted by the corrupt gang is that it is common for those government issued cards as proof of one's right to vote as most nations do. Thanks Repubs for corrupting our nation and making America less great than it can easily be.
I just needed to get off my chest the old political frustration over Sarah Palin selling the "death panels" slogan when there probably wasn't a family in America that hadn't experienced the insurance company real, actual death panels. Maybe democracy is doomed because "mob rule" is by mass insanity. I mean, what Palestinian-American actually wanted to trade in Joe Biden for the guy who was/is going to tell Netanyahu, kill them all? What Latino immigrant didn't get the part about some badge holding you up because you look sort of hispanic?
It is simply morally corrupt to profit off the health concerns of people. The racket in this country within the private sector is hard to believe. They actually feel that they are incredibly smart and cunning to be able to sucker their fellow citizens into their particular scam. Now we have their champion of privatization coming into unlimited power. The biggest problem with privatization is they never factor in greed as the main element within this sector. There is no respect for the commons any more. You are seen as a rube if you stand agains their greed and self pontifications. You are labeled a socialist or communist if you bring up the subject of the commons.
I have Medicare plus a "G" Medigap plan and am happy with it, but am still getting screwed by the Part D coverage I'm required to carry. I never use it, as the deductible exceeds the "full coach fare" drug price at Amazon pharmacy. Besides that, the formulary is different for each insurance company.
Good read this morning ☕ Thom, what a story to illustrate how corrupt are Healthcare System is?!! Look forward to your show coming up and will reStack ASAP 💯👍