One of the ways Republicans are trying to sell their Medicare proposal is by claiming that beneficiaries would “be enrolled in the same kind of health-care program that members of Congress enjoy.” Let's examine that claim.
Suppose that on the date the “Roadmap for America's Future” becomes effective, a government employee and a non-government employee are enrolled in a family health care plan for which the total annual premium is $7,600. The government pays $5,700 (75%) of its employee's plan and allows a $5,700 tax credit for the non-government employee.
Assume that the next year the premium increases by $50 per month for an annual premium of $8,200. For the government employee his employer will pay $6,150 (75%) of the premium – he will pay the usual 25%.
The non-government employee will also see an increase in his tax credit, but it will be based on the inflation rate. Suppose the rate is 3%. The tax credit will be, at most, $5,871, just short of 72% of the premium; he will pay 28%.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that by the year 2030 the typical 65-year-old will be paying 65% of his health care insurance premiums – assuming no change in the law, the government employee will still be paying just 25%.
What about the claim that beneficiaries would “be enrolled in the same kind of health-care program that members of Congress enjoy”? It's a lie! They might be in the same health care insurance plan, but they will be in a far different health care program.
An In-Depth Look At The Spirit's Activity – The Spirit Runs Through It.
“The Spirit Runs Through It” and “There Are Only Seven Jokes” are available in paperback, or at the Kindle Store.
Suppose that on the date the “Roadmap for America's Future” becomes effective, a government employee and a non-government employee are enrolled in a family health care plan for which the total annual premium is $7,600. The government pays $5,700 (75%) of its employee's plan and allows a $5,700 tax credit for the non-government employee.
Assume that the next year the premium increases by $50 per month for an annual premium of $8,200. For the government employee his employer will pay $6,150 (75%) of the premium – he will pay the usual 25%.
The non-government employee will also see an increase in his tax credit, but it will be based on the inflation rate. Suppose the rate is 3%. The tax credit will be, at most, $5,871, just short of 72% of the premium; he will pay 28%.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that by the year 2030 the typical 65-year-old will be paying 65% of his health care insurance premiums – assuming no change in the law, the government employee will still be paying just 25%.
What about the claim that beneficiaries would “be enrolled in the same kind of health-care program that members of Congress enjoy”? It's a lie! They might be in the same health care insurance plan, but they will be in a far different health care program.
******
In the previous chapter I discussed how the physical universe progresses by means of the Spirit’s activities on the space, atoms and molecules that comprise it. But our language is composed of a different kind of construct, i.e. words, which carve out volumes of space/time from the surrounding flow of events. This chapter will examine how we use language to talk about this process. An In-Depth Look At The Spirit's Activity – The Spirit Runs Through It.
“The Spirit Runs Through It” and “There Are Only Seven Jokes” are available in paperback, or at the Kindle Store.
Comments
Post a Comment