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August 16, 2008 - 11:53am.
Lifetime Penalties? Many newspapers recognize the absurdity that seniors are being forced to pay penalties for late enrollment under the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan; however, there is another similar and even larger issue no one seems to acknowledge or address. Every year thousands of senior Americans are charged LIFETIME penalties for "late" enrollment into the Medicare system. Why? Because it's another special interest issue that charges seniors a lifetime penalty of 10 percent for EACH year after their eligibility date that they didn't sign up for their benefits. So, if someone opts NOT or forgets to sign up during their eligibility year, but decides to do so --- say --- after four years, they are charged a total penalty of 40 percent EVERY year for the rest of their lives! Does THAT make any sense? These are people who have paid into the Medicare system their whole lives. Shouldn't it be their right to sign up at ANYTIME they wish? After all, it doesn't add additional taxpayer costs for them to do so, does it? The LIFETIME Medicare "late" enrollment penalty TAX is another special interest manipulation of the Medicare system that must go the way of the Wooly Mammoth, and legislators need to get rid of it! ---
Capitol Hill Blue's columnists, blogs and reader comments Capitol Hill Blue is an independent, non-partisan news site that belongs to no political party and subscribes to no political or philosophical point-of-view. Our columnists are welcome to their opinions but readers should understand that their views do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of this web site. We also welcome comments to selected opinion columns and in our popular ReaderRant discussion forum. Please remember, however, that we believe in civility on this web site and comments may be reviewed, moderated or removed if we feel they contain obscenities, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitic remarks or attack other posters. Our goal is reasoned discussion on issues facing this nation and we do not feel that goal is served by personal attacks and by seeing how many cute adjectives you can attach to an elected official or politician's name. Copyright © 2008 Capitol Hill Blue
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There is only one this to
Submitted by pollchecker on August 16, 2008 - 12:04pm.There is only one this to day about this......
IT'S PURE UNADULTERATED BS!
and needs to be stopped!
Hey the system is broke and
Submitted by sherry on August 17, 2008 - 8:24am.Hey the system is broke and broken. They will do anything to save a few bucks. How would you like to be an orthopaedic surgeon who is still being paid 1985 rates for a hip replacement.
Now that private insurance companies are hawking Medicare benefits, it is obvious the system has no problem blowing the bucks on insurance companies (who have billion dollar lobbies)
I guess if doctors want to be paid more, they need to fork over the money for lobbyists, because no one in DC is interested in doing the right thing.
I would just like to be able
Submitted by pollchecker on August 17, 2008 - 3:41pm.I would just like to be able to go to the doctor.
Just trash Medicare and
Submitted by woody188 on August 19, 2008 - 2:17am.Just trash Medicare and Social Security and be done with it. Doctor's have artificially and unnaturally extended our lives to the point that people are almost retired as long as they have worked. And just think how much better off we would be had Dick Cheney died from his first heart attack.
We could really use that extra 8% of our pay per month right now that we are forced to pay to the government so they can give it to someone else. Maybe we could buy our own insurance if we had that 8% back in our pockets.