If you were in Congress how would you vote on the issue of raising
premiums for those with incomes of 100K or more? Here's my prediction:
Pixie –yes
Js (Jonathan)- no (after all, it's basically a tax on the rich to
subsidize the poor)
George – yes
Herman – no
Denise – yes
Pickle and others – undecided

So I'll cast the deciding vote: YES
Bettina

"Bettina" <bettinared@aol.com> wrote in message
news:6b7c8049.0310171035.57885ab0@posting.google.c om...
> If you were in Congress how would you vote on the issue of raising
> premiums for those with incomes of 100K or more? Here's my prediction:
> Pixie -yes
> Js (Jonathan)- no (after all, it's basically a tax on the rich to
> subsidize the poor)
> George - yes
> Herman - no
> Denise - yes
> Pickle and others - undecided
>
> So I'll cast the deciding vote: YES
> Bettina

I don't think that charging different rates for the same medical care is
a good idea at all. First it will be $100,000 and next year $25,000 year.
It will undermine the whole Medicare program, which is all that it is
designed to do in the first place. It is NOT a revenue issue.

>Subject: Medicare Means Test
>From: bettinared@aol.com (Bettina)

Sorry but you are wrong. Health care is too expensive, for everyone. Even the
rich can lose everything they have, if hit by a severe, prolonged illness. I
do not suport a different tier of billing because of one's income.

Denise

dwood78828@aol.com (DWood78828) wrote in message news:<20031018004818.21447.00000723@mb-m02.aol.com>...
> >Subject: Medicare Means Test
> >From: bettinared@aol.com (Bettina)
>
> Sorry but you are wrong. Health care is too expensive, for everyone. Even the
> rich can lose everything they have, if hit by a severe, prolonged illness. I
> do not suport a different tier of billing because of one's income.
>
> Denise

But we already have a different tier because of income.Those with
minimal incomes --those on Medicaid, those who get charity care etc
--pay no premiums and minimal co-pay beccause costs are shifted to
those with higher incomes who pay higher premiums. And the billing
wouldn't be different -- providers would bill Medicare and be paid the
same no matter what the patient's income. The rich would just pay more
into the Medicare program than the poor.
Even some Republicans in Congress think it's a fair way to keep
Medicare from going broke.
Bettina

"Bettina" <bettinared@aol.com> wrote in message
news:6b7c8049.0310180558.78acfaa4@posting.google.c om...
> dwood78828@aol.com (DWood78828) wrote in message
news:<20031018004818.21447.00000723@mb-m02.aol.com>...
> > >Subject: Medicare Means Test
> > >From: bettinared@aol.com (Bettina)
> >
> > Sorry but you are wrong. Health care is too expensive, for everyone.
Even the
> > rich can lose everything they have, if hit by a severe, prolonged
illness. I
> > do not suport a different tier of billing because of one's income.
> >
> > Denise
>
> But we already have a different tier because of income.Those with
> minimal incomes --those on Medicaid, those who get charity care etc
> --pay no premiums and minimal co-pay beccause costs are shifted to
> those with higher incomes who pay higher premiums. And the billing
> wouldn't be different -- providers would bill Medicare and be paid the
> same no matter what the patient's income. The rich would just pay more
> into the Medicare program than the poor.
> Even some Republicans in Congress think it's a fair way to keep
> Medicare from going broke.
> Bettina

The ploy to charge the 'rich' more for Medicare is simply a political
stand to destroy political support for Medicare overall. Doctors will
quickly want more income from those who pay more fees, and then the
well-to-do will ask for Medicare to become a pure Medicaid scheme, and then
doctors will continue to refuse to participate, and collapse is what
Republicans and now some democrats want too.

On 17 Oct 2003 11:35:39 -0700, bettinared@aol.com (Bettina) wrote:

>If you were in Congress how would you vote on the issue of raising
>premiums for those with incomes of 100K or more? Here's my prediction:
>Pixie –yes
>Js (Jonathan)- no (after all, it's basically a tax on the rich to
>subsidize the poor)
>George – yes
>Herman – no
>Denise – yes
>Pickle and others – undecided
>
>So I'll cast the deciding vote: YES
>Bettina

Certainly I'd favor a graduated premium for coverage. IF, and only
if, such a premium would ensure the provision of fully adequate
services to the less fortunate.

I do feel that it would require a great deal of change in our existing
laws, however, and a great deal of sensible thinking to develop a
proper.. and fair.. premium schedule.

pixie

On Fri, 17 Oct 2003 19:05:55 GMT, "George Conklin"
<nilknoc@earthlink.net> wrote:

>
>"Bettina" <bettinared@aol.com> wrote in message
>news:6b7c8049.0310171035.57885ab0@posting.google. com...
>> If you were in Congress how would you vote on the issue of raising
>> premiums for those with incomes of 100K or more? Here's my prediction:
>> Pixie -yes
>> Js (Jonathan)- no (after all, it's basically a tax on the rich to
>> subsidize the poor)
>> George - yes
>> Herman - no
>> Denise - yes
>> Pickle and others - undecided
>>
>> So I'll cast the deciding vote: YES
>> Bettina
>
> I don't think that charging different rates for the same medical care is
>a good idea at all. First it will be $100,000 and next year $25,000 year.
>It will undermine the whole Medicare program, which is all that it is
>designed to do in the first place. It is NOT a revenue issue.
>
WHERE did you dredge up those numbers, georgie. You really should lay
off using the 'funny cigarettes', they tend to further cloud your
thinking.

pixie

On 18 Oct 2003 04:48:18 GMT, dwood78828@aol.com (DWood78828) wrote:

>>Subject: Medicare Means Test
>>From: bettinared@aol.com (Bettina)
>
>Sorry but you are wrong. Health care is too expensive, for everyone. Even the
>rich can lose everything they have, if hit by a severe, prolonged illness. I
>do not suport a different tier of billing because of one's income.
>
>Denise

I don't see it as a 'different tier of billing', Denise, but of
establishing a sliding scale of premiums for coverage.

Personally I'm not 100% sold on the idea BUT with all of our
forseeable money being shipped to Iraq to pay for Bushie's little
tantrum of destruction some creative method must be developed to
reduce the cost.

pixie

>Subject: Re: Medicare Means Test
>From: bettinared@aol.com

>But we already have a different tier because of income.Those with
>minimal incomes --those on Medicaid, those who get charity care etc
>--pay no premiums and minimal co-pay beccause costs are shifted to
>those with higher incomes who pay higher premiums. And the billing

>wouldn't be different -- providers would bill Medicare and be paid the
>same no matter what the patient's income. The rich would just pay more
>into the Medicare program than the poor.
>Even some Republicans in Congress think it's a fair way to

>keep
>Medicare from going broke.
>Bettina


First of all, Medicare is not going broke. It is Congress use of its general
fund that is causing the problems.

I made $55,000 in 1986 and paid FICCA on $34,000 of my income. I made $67,000
in 1987 and paid FICCA on $34,500. In 1988 I made $85,000 and paid FICCA on
$36,000 of it. Should I have paid FICCA on every penny I made? I think not.

If I win the lottery tomorrow, should I give up my SSDI?


Denise

>Subject: Re: Medicare Means Test
>From: Gretchen Evans

>Personally I'm not 100% sold on the idea BUT with all of our
>forseeable money being shipped to Iraq to pay for Bushie's little
>tantrum of destruction some creative method must be developed to
>reduce the cost.


I don't agree with Bush's little plans either but I also do not believe that
because of income onme should be expected to pay more.

Denise