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GoodRaisin

(10,952 posts)

30. No matter what we call it, it all comes down to cost.

Reply to leftstreet (Reply #10)

Mon Mar 30, 2026, 08:53 PM

Mar 30

If the cost is better than the alternative people will gravitate to it. The thing I don’t think all people understand yet is Medicare isn’t free. My cost is about $600 a month all totaled, including what the government takes out of my social security, my supplemental plan premium, prescription plan and all the deductibles.

It seems to me that a national pool of younger members could bring down the costs for both young and old if the total cost is spread over a good portion of the entire population. But we won’t know until we actually see the numbers.

Personally I would like to see social health care nationalized in the form of the VA model, but that isn’t going to happen in the first step. The Medicare by Choice proposal could be a good first step in that direction once we get a government that cares about it’s people again.

Bringing down the cost of private plans is a unicorn.

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leftstreet

31 replies

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Highlight:

Group floats 'Medicare by Choice' as a Democratic health care alternative [View all] RandySF Mar 26 OP

Sounds like a good idea to me. Have to see the details. Walleye Mar 26 #1

I think it's a great idea! bamagal62 Mar 26 #2

Isn't that the "public option" NameAlreadyTaken Mar 26 #3

Sounds like it to me. Nt lostnfound Mar 27 #13

Many year ago, I thought that, for those poor with no health insurance and who couldn't qualify for Wonder Why Mar 26 #4

If you get injured in a auto accident here in CA you get ripped off. Jacson6 Mar 26 #6

It should be called the "Medicare Voluntary Option". Jacson6 Mar 26 #5

State laws would need to be changed Ms. Toad Mar 26 #7

People younger than 65 can only enroll in a MA plan if they are on SSDI or have one of a couple of specific diseases MichMan Mar 29 #22

Interesting, area51 Mar 26 #8

Regular Medicare without all those add ins is currently $200 per month for retirees MichMan Mar 26 #12

I know, as I'm on it. area51 Mar 28 #21

As long as they leave Medicare for retirees untouched gulliver Mar 26 #9

Medicare "Advantage" is change for the worse Skittles Mar 28 #17

The people rushing to save us from scams... gulliver Mar 28 #18

Sounds like Third Way think tank is against it leftstreet Mar 26 #10

Then even more reason to think it's a good option. I prefer Med4All but this is better than Nanjeanne Mar 26 #11

So it's all or nothing. RandySF Mar 28 #15

Quelle surprise aocommunalpunch Mar 28 #19

A lot of them are bought and paid for by the health insurance lobby fujiyamasan Mar 29 #23

No matter what we call it, it all comes down to cost. GoodRaisin Mar 30 #30

TriCare for all leftstreet Mar 30 #31

The word "choice" is politically charged tinrobot Mar 27 #14

No, choice is the perfect branding here Deminpenn Mar 28 #16

In 2009, one thing proposed was to allow people over 55 karynnj Mar 28 #20

It basically got torpedoed by Lieberman and Baucus fujiyamasan Mar 29 #24

It was also Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln karynnj Mar 29 #25

So, the "public option" that Lieberman and a few others screwed us out of when the ACA first passed. FascismIsDeath Mar 29 #26

Universal health care is so complicated that only 32 of 33 advanced nations niyad Mar 30 #27

Most, if not all, pay for it with a 15-20% VAT MichMan Mar 30 #28

You mean, instead of the outrageous premiums people here pay now niyad Mar 30 #29