How will the abolishment of Medicare affect your RVing?

[Naio]

Medicare is famous for putting almost all of its budget into actual healthcare, with administrative costs just a tiny fraction of private insurance companies' costs.

Now that it is going to be privatised, and costs passed onto consumers, people over 65 can plan on paying double or triple what younger people pay for Obamacare. (Trump now says he will preserve Obamacare.)

How will this affect your budget? Will you be able to keep RVing? Will this change the RVing lifestyle nationwide?

I wonder if RVing will become something only younger people with mobile jobs can afford to do, and retirees will be priced out of the market. I would not like to see that.

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Edited to add:

This thread has become rancorous, with people making a lot of accusations and extremist political claims and name-calling. I don't want that.

Just to clarify (and calm people down), we are not talking about campaign promises and tv news.

The Republican platform for 2016 says they will privatize Medicare, pass the increased costs onto seniors, and raise the Medicare age. I do not have a crystal ball. I do not know whether the new Congress will keep this pledge. But a wise person would plan for the possibility that Republicans will do what they believe their voters voted for. So, what are you planning?

I would like this thread to stick to how this affects RVing -- the industry, the RV community, and individual people here. As I have said repeatedly.

[Tom_Barb]

Boon Docker wrote:
. So sad the rest of us have to wade through the drivel.

No one is forcing you to read this thread.

[lbrjet]

I have nothing to say, but just wanted to be part of history in the making.

[winnietrey]

I see no solution to rising health care costs. Up and until we address the real issues that drive health care costs. Which are, we are getting fatter, sicker and living longer. And two we all want the latest and greatest, and all that technology and new drugs come with a cost. (50 years ago, no such thing as hip replacements, MRI's, open heart surgery, cancer drugs an on and on) You just went home and died.

I have no answers, but I do think both factions plans, do not address these issues. Nor even really mention them. So which ever way we go about it, on insurance, those huge cost drivers remain and nothing really changes as far as health care costs increasing. So yes, in answer to the OP I do expect Retirement health care costs will continue to rise. No Matter what plan is put in place.

[2oldman]

First Trump gets elected, and now political posts are allowed on here. The surprises never end.

[JIMNLIN]

On another note Is anyone else bothered by the nasty tone of some of the above posts?

Yeah....probably one of the main reasons political topics are not allowed.
I also find it odd the mod/adm let this thread turn political with the name calling and mealy mouth replies just like we had before the so called new rules.

The OP's question brings up a good point regardless.

If they did privatize or do away with it and the wife and I were forced to buy insurance at the going rate we would have to sell the camper. Were both 74 years old and with our health history, costs would probably prohibit even having health care like many folks in the past and even present. SS only goes so far for most Americans.
Several years back the insurance industry said by 2020 they were looking for the cost of health care for a individual in the USA to double in costs.

As long as our politicians continue to hide the insurance industries pockets I look for health care costs in this country to continue to soar regardless of what is done with medicare.

[Walaby]

A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.

We may have avoided it this time, but I suspect it is temporary. Ultimately, the majority, who enjoy the freebies will vote for candidates that provide more freebies. We were on the precipice this time.

Mike

[bgum]

Social Security can be easily fixed without major changes. Raise percent of FICA and remove cap on amount taxed. If your ssa benefit is subject to income tax take the amount and put into the ssa trust fund. Cut out spouses benefit. Keep widows benefits. Cut out 216H3 benefits unless acknowledged in writing. Do not raise retirement age. It only causes more people to file for disability. Reduce SSI benefits. Some on SSI who never worked get higher benefits than someone who worked for very low wages their entire life. No one thing will fix the problem but a combination will.

[Cummins12V98]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
The #1 reason for the HUGE rise in health care costs is the FACT that anyone can check into a luxury mental or drug/alcohol rehab resort as many times as they wish and the companies can charge what they want. No limits or times stayed is a huge cost!!!

Ever notice the TV adds with the sunset and fancy pool resort atmosphere?

2012 when I retired our Medical only insurance costs were $900 per mo, starting 2017 they will be $1,324. So that equals an additional $5,088 out of my retirement income to pay for this forced coverage.

[Cummins12V98]

The #1 reason for the HUGE rise in health care costs is the FACT that anyone can check into a luxury mental or drug/alcohol rehab resort as many times as they wish and the companies can charge what they want. No limits or times stayed is a huge cost!!!

Ever notice the TV adds with the sunset and fancy pool resort atmosphere?

2012 when I retired our Medical only insurance costs were $900 per mo, stating 2017 they will be $1,324. So that equals an additional $5,088 out of my retirement income to pay for this forced coverage.

[Thunder_Mountai]

I think we will eventually see some changes to Social Security and Medicare. Those making in access of a certain amount will not receive Social Security and they will have to pay higher Medicare premiums. They may take the cap off Social Security for the wealthy and raise the retirement age gradually to 70. All of this would make sense, but as we know Washington, there is no common sense in Washington.

[Walaby]

OP is correct on one point. The Republicans ran on a platform to repeal and replace, and that is exactly what the american people voted then in to do. If Obamacare was so great for insurance companies, they wouldn't be pulling out. What needs to happen is real competition... open up to allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. Allow more flexibility in individual coverages. A tall order, I understand, but it has to happen to make this work.

There's alot of things that could be improved with our healthcare. I understand that Dr Ben Carson has pledged to help Trump craft a plan that will work. Assuming that is correct, to me it shows Trump's willingness (and promise) to bring smart people in to fix the problems. You don't hire a computer whiz to fix a care. Don't hire politicians to fix healthcare. Hire a healthcare provider, who understands, to fix healthcare.

I've seen and experienced first hand, socialized medicine, and it's not what many folks believe it to be. My sister, who lives in Germany, has had to deal with their healthcare system, and it can be a shop of horrors.

Mike

[Lynnmor]

spoon059 wrote:


There are a couple good pieces of the ACA, as Trump has pointed out. Insurance until 26 is a good idea for kids trying to get started. Mandating coverage of pre-existing conditions is fair, though it will cost more money.

I quit being a "kid" and got started when I was 17. Time for people to grow up and take personal responsibility. 26 should not be defined as a kid.

Coverage for pre-existing conditions was the only thing that was needed before the entire system was wrecked.

[spoon059]

westend wrote:
The problem with implementing health insurance for everyone is that there was no control over provider health care costs.

I would argue that the biggest problem with implementing this program was government oversight and incompetence. We already have a socialized healthcare program in this country, the Veterans Health Administration. We have already seen first hand how the government would run things, with excessive costs, lacking facilities, long lines of waiting, horrible red tape and minimal actual care.

Our veterans, the ones who actually protect us, receive garbage care. Our elected leaders, the ones that are dragging down our future, receive AMAZING care.

The fact that no member of congress is required to settle for this abomination of "healthcare" should be a sign of how terrible it is. The fact that a lot of votes had to be bought with back alley deals and promises should be a sign of how terrible it is. The fact that insurance rates have SKYROCKETED since it went into effect should be a sign of how terrible it is.

There are a couple good pieces of the ACA, as Trump has pointed out. Insurance until 26 is a good idea for kids trying to get started. Mandating coverage of pre-existing conditions is fair, though it will cost more money.

Trump is not going to rubber stamp the Republican mantra, which I believe is one of the reason lots of moderates voted for him. He has no financial ties to big business and he has no serious political ties to the left or the right. Nobody has any clue what to expect from him. He might turn out to be a good president, or he could turn out to be a horrible president. This country could come out better, or worse, in 4 years.

Nobody knows. The OP and his passive aggressive statement's are not helping anyone and just causing unnecessary stress for the weak members of our population that believe anything they hear. The fact of the matter is that our social programs are VERY expensive and not being fully funded by specific contributions because the system is flawed. The government is taking money from other projects to pay for these safety net programs.

I know that we will never get rid of all these social programs, but I can hope that we can at least find a way to make them more financially solvent in their own right.

[Bumpyroad]

ktmrfs wrote:


Hint to the OP don't pay attention to fox, ops, excuse me faux news.

.

gee, it seems to me that that was the only news organization that didn't have to go slinking away in shame in the middle of the night.
bumpy

[westend]

Trump made a lot of promises on "hot button" issues. Yeah, folks using the affordable care act don't like their premiums rising. The problem with implementing health insurance for everyone is that there was no control over provider health care costs. Those should have been frozen or a set of expense rules applied before the affordable care act was written into law.

It may be that some folks choose to pay the penalty and do without insurance, paying out of pocket. Hopefully, they don't encounter a large expense that derails their plan.

The Federal Medicare program does limit provider costs. IIRC, should a retiree choose certain advantage plans, their insurance would cover them while on the road. I don't remember the underwriter's of these plans but some have advertised them as having that coverage.

I don't see Medicare going away or the Affordable Care Act. The insurance companies and banks have those customers, why should they kill the goose that lays that egg?