Earlier this year, I had my happiest birthday ever. The reason it was my happiest and most anticipated birthday is that I turned 65 and was thus eligible for Medicare. For the past 20 years due to a pre-existing condition, my health insurance situation ranged from having no insurance to being on TennCare (with premiums based on income) to an expensive HIPPA policy to finally a very expensive, very high deductible state high risk pool administered through BCBS. So, I was (and am) very excited to be eligible for good, affordable health insurance through Medicare.
However, when I began the process of studying my options under Medicare, I learned that the program was somewhat different than I had previously thought. This year, as Medicare became the subject of debate, I began to look further into the funding and the fiscal sustainability of the program. What I learned was also surprising to me.
Since I believe that others may also not be aware of exactly how the program works, its funding, and the sustainability problems, I decided to write this diary detailing what I have learned. This will be a relatively basic view of Medicare, focusing on the program as it relates to seniors, and will not cover Medicare as it relates to those under 65 whose eligibility is based on disability.
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