Did Bill Maher ask his Repug panel about Medicare last night?

[gatorboy]

Missed the show but I'd be curious as to what their response was.

[mdmc]

1. i didnt see

anyone?

[gatorboy]

3. I guess no one tuned in because it was an all Republican panel.

[liberalmike27]

27. I wish I could see it

I used to watch here, but HBO has gotten so good at policing their "sounds" that they don't stay up long enough anymore.

About all you can see, is new rules.

I wish we could get Maher back on a non-pay channel. But they've got him where they want him, tucked away on one of the most expensive pay channels. I've got Showtime, as I think it is the best. But I wish I had HBO also, but too expensive, it is.

[sandnsea]

2. 90% of Medicare recipients buy supplemental insurance

Therefore, Medicare doesn't work. That's what one of the little weasels said.

[ingac70]

4. Medicare covers 80% when supplemented.

Repukes just make shit up.

[gatorboy]

5. Yep. If he was referring to Medigap, only 18% of Medicare users use this

supplemental health insurance plan:

http://www.kff.org/medicare/upload/7801.pdf

[DURHAM D]

8. Try again. From you own link 89% (in 2006) purchased additional coverage.

Medigap is just one type of supplemental.

[sandnsea]

9. Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and retirement benefits

"More than a third of all beneficiaries (35%) had coverage from an employer-sponsored plan, 19% were in Medicare Advantage plans, 18% purchased supplemental insurance (Medigap) policies, and 16% were covered by Medicaid (generally those with very low incomes and modest assets)."

[DURHAM D]

10. You left out the first and last sentence. I assume on purpose.

"Most Medicare beneficiaries (89%) had some form of supplemental health insurance coverage in 2006.
More than a third of all beneficiaries (35%) had coverage from an employer-sponsored plan, 19% were in Medicare Advantage plans, 18% purchased supplemental insurance (Medigap) policies, and 16% were covered by Medicaid (generally those with very low incomes and modest assets). Eleven percent had no supplemental coverage. (Exhibit 1.1)"

[ingac70]

11. That supplement isn't because Medicare doesn't work.

That is what that lying bastard said- People bought supplements because it didn't work. Medicare covers a MAJORITY of the costs. People have lost employer sponsored supplements since 2006 as well.

I'd like to see these old farts on Medicare screaming at town halls go out and buy a regular health insurance policy.

[sandnsea]

12. I was clarifying what YOU left out - I assume on purpose.

Using the term "supplemental insurance", which most people reserve for medigap, to pretend Medicare doesn't work - well it's just bullshit.

Nobody considers Medicaid, retirement benefits, or Medicare Advantage a "supplemental" Medicare policy.

[DURHAM D]

14. I agree with this - nobody would consider Medicaid a purchased additional "supplemental".

Take out that 16% - leaving only 73% of purchased additional coverage.

[sandnsea]

16. Not exactly

Retirement benefits aren't really purchased by the individual, so it's hard to say what they would do if they had to pay for it out of pocket.

Medicare Advantage is more an alternative to Medicare, it's an HMO that a lot of people get sucked into and then end up with the same HMO problems people have been complaining about for years.

Which leaves us back at 18%.

[DURHAM D]

19. So the 35% of supplements purchased by employers -

isn't because it is needed to plug holes. Its because companies just like to spend money?

And the Medicare Advantage is a bad program so you won't count the 19% of seniors trying to protect themselves by enrolling in that.

Sorry God but I need to go water the grass.

[sandnsea]

26. Retirement health care is a benefit

It wasn't originally intended to plug Medicare holes. It has evolved into that. It's hard to say whether they would be necessary at all if people weren't used to having them. Maybe people would have fought to make Medicare itself cover more.

No, I won't count the people in Medicare Advantage as having supplemental insurance. They don't. They have an alternative plan because insurance companies have had too much power to screw up Medicare.

[gatorboy]

13. You consider Medicaid a supplemental health insurance?

Oh boy...

[DURHAM D]

15. Don't the states pay back the federal government for at least a

portion of their resident's medicaid coverage under medicare - I believe my state pays back 50% percent.

[sandnsea]

17. They share the cost

Between 50% to 78%. Is that what you mean?

[gatorboy]

18. I don't get what your point is.

That the States are now private insurance providers? Isn't it still government based healthcare?

[DURHAM D]

20. No. And I can't help you. nt

[gatorboy]

21. And yet you keep coming back....

Water your grass and recharge the snark.

[Hansel]

22. My Dad used United Health Care.

They refused to pay anything after he died. The difference was only a few hundred dollars so we paid it out of the estate even though we knew they were responsible to pay it. It went on forever and we finally decided it wasn't worth it anymore, paid it, and closed out the estate.

I'm sure that their CEO needed a new boat or something.

[zoff]

6. Isn't that is the most disingenous argument about med supps.

I wonder how these people live from day to day, with all that spin in their heads. If they believe government doesn't work, they are most welcome to leave the country. Problem is, who would take these lunatics?

[DURHAM D]

7. Well that's true.

Medicare doesn't mean seniors are on a free ride - even though that is what most people think. Seniors buy all sorts of additional coverage in order not to face health disasters because medicare is full of holes.

Medicare is a beginning and everyone should have it and because the insurance companies make a lot of money off of seniors that have to buy additional insurance to cover the medicare gaps that would mean that if the rest of the populations gets single payer (medicare like coverage) they would have to buy additional coverage also.

I don't see why the insurance companies are fighting single payer - they would just have to write new kinds of policies but would still make their millions.

[abumbyanyothername]

23. Making millions

. . . they would just have to write new kinds of policies but would still make their millions. . . .

But now they are making hundreds of billions.

Now do you see why they would kill a President to keep it?

[zoff]

28. Insurance cos do make a killing off seniors.

I'm going to guess that the Modernization Act watered down medicare in order to let private insurers in the game. They wouldn't bother if there wasn't any profit to be made. Because the gaps were created, it became necessary to cover them, giving them the opening to charge higher premiums. And its not like these premiums remain flat either. It may start at $150/mo, which by any standard is cheap. But because the plan pool gets sicker and smaller, the premiums compound year after year. While gap insurance seems financially reasonable if you are very, very, very sick, because you could end up paying less in premium than you would without it, it shouldn't have been the case in the first place if medicare covered everything ala HR 676. The one major thing no longer covered? long term care. This transferred even more responsibility to the hapless senior. And they are left to purchase expensive LTC policies on their own. This is what seniors dislike about medicare. Even the new medicare advantage plans do no cover this.

Medicare needs its teeth back and the gaps should be filled. Insurers are against anything because of the he chance that there will be few gaps left to cover and few if no policies left to write. Insurere lobby/lie about cost because they know Obama's plan will attract a lot of people including healthier and younger segments of the population i.e. Medicare for all. This will spread out the risk and keep costs down, something insurers will have to compete against.

Will this be expensive? Yes. But that doesn't take away from the fact that we need to end healthcare-for- obscene-profit. In order to finance this, the solution is to reduce military spending and to stop fighting wars.

[Corgigal]

24. You almost have to purchase a supplemental insurance

policy if you use Medicare. That was what the Bush Drug Plan was all about. My husband never had the extra policy but he was forced to purchase something to get the breaks on his prescriptions. Funny how The Republicans on Maher show last night didn't mention that tidbit.

[dorkulon]

25. Bill Maher needs to read a fucking newspaper between bong hits once in a while

Dude, you have a weekly political talk show. It's your job to be well-informed enough to counter GOP bullshit. Sheesh.