5 Ways to Battle Economic Storm Facing Seniors

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"Use Free Medicare Benefits. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanded the menu of free and reduced-price preventive health procedures for Medicare beneficiaries. Perhaps the most appealing free procedure is a free wellness visit with your personal physician."
I did this a few months back... only did an EKG, a blood test and a x-ray of the lungs. No problems found... But a procedure that costs $600-900 in the open market/internet search... was billed as costing $2700! But miraculously they accepted only $170. Most would say it didn't cost me anything so why worry... Because... well... something doesn't seem right about the $2700 billing that should be $600-900 and then accepting only $170...
Furthermore... there are no (or very few) scientific studies that say that the "free wellness visit" is worth the cost (i.e. negative outcomes discovered vs. cost of thousands... even millions having this done.)
So is this really a "free wellness check"?... Or is that almost $2500 difference funding something else?
One more thing... I'd like to see that $500 billion savings in Medicare over ten years put into a "lock box"... it's time for a little more transparency, accountability and such... Don't you think...

Charles of NC 2:18PM August 01, 2011

A Call to Action: "Shared Financial Sacrifice", Spending and Debt
Our politicians have spent the entire Social Security Trust Fund ($2.3+ trillions of cash surpluses... now IOUs), spent the 2% portion of the annual inflow into Social Security ($112 billion/2011 yr), given tax incentives/credits to companies,,, paid out of the annual inflow into Social Security for new job hires ($12 billion/2010 yr. and used the wrong index for 25 yrs. to lower annual CPI increases (i.e. CPI-W vs. CPI-E). All of this means that the seniors/elderly have made a "financial sacrifice" of trillions over the past couple of decades... and still our federal government spends $1.5 trillion (or more) than the cash it takes in... every year! Furthermore, seniors/elderly Social Security cash dollars rather than adding to the debt... has actually been used to allow spending beyond all reason... leading to the point we find ourselves today.
It's past time to quit transferring billions from the retirees/baby boomers (and others), live within our means and start charging some other group(s) for the spending excesses. In short, we need a "meaningful debate" about what we want vs. what we need and can actually afford.
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Almost everyone agrees that Social Security needs to be fixed. But that fix shouldn't go beyond what is necessary... And especially simply treating it as some sort of "cash cow" to be milked for all it's worth...

Charles of NC 1:55PM August 01, 2011

The debt is NOT from Basic Medicare or Social Security. It is from wars we never paid for, tax cuts we could not support, and defense spending that has more than doubled since Clinton.
BUSH: Defense = $360 billion more than when the budget balanced.
BUSH: Medicare drug program unfunded - = $30 billion more
BUSH: Medicare Advantage = $50 billion more than those using regular Medicare
BUSH Tax cuts: = $350 billion year
Foreign aid: = $40 billion/year
Corporate subsidies (only the biggest and most glaring) = $60 billion year
The Great Wall of Mexico & the prison industrial complex:= $50 billion more year
These things alone have caused the deficit and growing debt. Reverse them and you have a balanced budget.
Senior programs may need to be adjusted, but are NOT the cause of our financial woes.
Wake up America. This is a fabrication intended to dismantle the safety net we have all paid for. This is the John Birch Society reincarnated. Doesn't anyone have any backbone any more??????

DeeToo of SC 12:57PM August 01, 2011