I am beginning to become disillusioned about the ability of people to think and reason and not be blinded by prejudices [i]. . . he said with tongue in cheek. It seems that people will believe what they want to believe and not be deterred by the facts.
I have written frequently that the rumor about the Medicare Part B premium increasing to $247 in 2014 is not true and yet I still get comments to the contrary. The latest is that Snopes.com says it is true. No, Snopes does not say that at all. Here is what it says:
From Snopes:
As for future Medicare Part B premium rates, the information cited above is wrong on two counts: No provision of the health care legislation passed during the Obama administration sets Medicare premium rates, nor is a whopping jump of over 100% to a $247.00 monthly premium in 2014 a realistic figure.
Many people, it seems, just want to believe that so-called Obamacare is responsible for a tremendous jump in Medicare premiums (and no doubt the tornadoes in the mid-west as well). That is not true; there is nothing in the Affordable Care Act that talks about the Medicare premium.
So far I have been accused of lying, of being a liberal, of being a supporter of President Obama and I forgot what else because of posting the truth about the Part B premium rumor. Frankly, I am none of those, but I am one thing. I am scared to death that some of these people are going to vote.
If you want to believe rumors and Internet nonsense that is your right, but for Pete’s sake, don’t spread false information or any information without checking out the facts. You can go to Snopes, Fact Checker and other sources if you like. In this case you can read the Medicare Trustees Report and you can easily get the full text of the Affordable Care Act. You can do all kinds of productive things before you spread rumors, try it sometime.
Here is a tip. Just because it is on the Internet or you receive an e-mail along with another four million people, does not make it true.
[i] a preformed opinion, usually an unfavorable one, based on insufficient knowledge, irrational feelings, or inaccurate stereotypes
Related articles
- Medicare premiums 2014, the bogus rumor persists. $247 per month is ridicules (quinnscommentary.com)
- What is Snopes? (fullgamutworkshop.wordpress.com)
- A decline in the Medicare Part B deductible is a poor long-term strategy (quinnscommentary.com)
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
I’m an insurance agent & am constantly bombarded by this particular e-mail from a number of my concerned Medicare clients. I refute it every time, but most likely am not believed by some. Once they receive it in the mail again, they believe it. Now it’s being circulated with a Blue Cross Blue Shield logo on it in a signed letter by someone named “Peggy” (the supposed BCBS Alabama employee . . .) I tell my friends & clients that you can pop a logo on anything & send it around. Maybe that’s really what we should all start doing to refute this lie, as well as, others that persist.
LikeLike
What we need is for someone at HHS or the Medicare actuary to speak out as well.
If people would just do the math they would see that because of the hold harmless provision in Social Security it would be mathematically impossible for such a premium to occur unless the Medicare COLA went up over 30% in the next year and a half. Do you think anyone believes that will happen.
I hope you will refer people to my blog too.
Dick
Richard D Quinn Editor
http://www.quinnscommentary.com
Health Insurance Illuminated http://blog.horizonblue.com/
LikeLike