Medicare is not socialized medicine.
Medicare is a government run insurance system providing coverage for health care expenses jointly with private insurance companies and funded by working Americans and program participants with costs structured so the affluent pay more for their coverage.
Interference in care provided to beneficiaries is very minimal and much less than private non-Medicare insurance.
Medicare reimburses at fee levels lower than private insurance.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
“funded by working Americans and program participants with costs structured so the affluent pay more for their coverage.”
True, but, insufficient detail.
Medicare Part A, Hospital Insurance, is primarily funded by higher wage Americans who have 30, 40, 50 or more years of employment – heavily subsidizing those with just over 10 years of spotty employment at modest wages, AND spouses who have little or no wage/tax history – even spouses who have been in a platonic/legal marital relationship for a year.
Medicare Part B and Part D is primarily funded by general revenues, aka income taxes, where only about 50% of American households pay such taxes – and some households actually get tax refunds due to low income.
Even the point of enrollment (contributions) cost sharing is funded by general revenues for about one fifth of all Medicare beneficiaries who are dual eligible – covered by both Medicare and Medicaid.
It is a hyper-progressive funding system.
Your statement makes it seem like everyone who benefits is shouldering a proportionate amount of the cost – liek they “earned” it – as you failed to note that this too is an entitlement, and can be adjusted, eliminated at any time.
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“Tax refund” in the prior note means “negative income tax” – taxpayers pay monies to households who don’t pay any income taxes themselves.
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Pay lower paid workers more and they will help fund Medicare and will not qualify for Medicaid.
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There you go.
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General revenue is funded by taxes too – to the extent it is not deficit spending.
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Saw ads this week for a United Healthcare Medicare plan that offers groceries and utility money. I don’t see why healthcare insurance should be paying for that. It is only rising the cost of coverage and or robbing money to pay health claims, which must come from somewhere. My guess is the general fund.
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