Medicare isn’t charity— or free

“Getting more out of Medicare than was paid in,” Sept. 29 letter to the editor.

Letter-writerMonte Lynn Naylor stated that the people who are eligible forMedicare benefits today will receive much more compensation for medical expenses than they contributed through payroll taxes.

This compensation is not charity. Medicare recipients paid taxes for many years so that they could continue to meet their basic needs in their 60s and beyond. Even at current medical costs, the “high-earning taxpayers” of today can well afford to help out those people who supported them when the former were children.

Naylor also asked, “What ever happened to self-reliance and earning your own way?” The younger generation learned these values from the elders who displayed them all their working lives. In fact, manyMedicare recipients are still employed or making money as entrepreneurs, and still paying income and payroll taxes. And don’t forget thatMedicare recipients pay premiums for many of their medical expenses.

Don’t forget, Medicare isn’t free for most people. In addition to paying payrollMedicare taxes for years, I now pay around $340 a month forMedicare Parts B & D and a supplemental policy. Cheap compared to most private insurance plans, but it doesn’t cover dental work, most vision care, nor hearing aids.

It’s easy to criticizeMedicare, butwhat’s your alternative solution? There are lots of retirees who’ve been self-reliant and paid their ownway all their lives. But I guarantee you that if a private insurance companywon’t cover a person, there are very fewwho could pay for an operation or cancer treatment or recovery from accidents out of their own private funds.