http://pnhp.org/blog/2008/07/21/means-testing-medicare-benefits/ PNHP's official blog Fri, 06 Jan 2012 01:06:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://pnhp.org/blog/2008/07/21/means-testing-medicare-benefits/comment-page-1/#comment-89 Jeoffry B. Gordon, MD, MPH Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:22:30 +0000 http://www.pnhp.org/blog/?p=36#comment-89 No one paid any attention when Medicare Part D was passed with the premiums for drug benefits requiring that Medicare participants for the first time be required to disclose their income and have their premium based on that. While a progressive income based cost may help and be rational for Medicare's financial health, this was the camel's nose under the tent wall. The first time a Medicare benefit was income related. We can now see how the strategy is one of truly destroying a social contract rather than building it out. No one paid any attention when Medicare Part D was passed with the premiums for drug benefits requiring that Medicare participants for the first time be required to disclose their income and have their premium based on that. While a progressive income based cost may help and be rational for Medicare’s financial health, this was the camel’s nose under the tent wall. The first time a Medicare benefit was income related. We can now see how the strategy is one of truly destroying a social contract rather than building it out.

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