The cost of Medicare

April 05, 2008 02:41 pm

— Editor:
I sincerely hope you will print this letter to give information to those who think Medicare and Social Security are welfare — they are not. A percentage is taken out of every pay check for Medicare and Social Security — even if one works after the age of 80. In addition, before one will see a penny of their Social Security benefits, almost $97 is taken out of the check each month for Medicare, plus one must pay $100 to $200 monthly for Medigap insurance. Each year, more is taken out for Medicare, while the coverage drops and the deductibles increase; this increases the cost of the Medigap insurance. The so-called cost-of-living raises that the corrupt congress gives to Social Security recipients barely covers these increases for Medicare and Medigap insurance. Some years the increases are not even covered.
The reason the Social Security fund is “going broke” is because 20 plus years ago these congressmen stole the money from the Social Security fund and put it in the General Fund so they could spend it on their pet projects. They continue to take the new money placed into the Social Security fund each year. Shortly afterward this congress voted to give federal employees the option to contribute into Social Security, but congress made this partially retroactive so that many of these federal employees were allowed to draw Social Security benefits by contributing merely two months or less — not bad for lifetime benefits.
That is why there will probably be no Social Security for future retirees who paid into the fund their entire working careers. It is not the amount being paid back to legitimate recipients, but is due to the mismanagement (actually thieving) of the Social Security fund by these corrupt congressmen.
Barbara Johnson