20 Years Can Change The Medicare Landscape

This is a question that is on the minds of many Americans who are currently paying money into Medicare with each paycheck and still are being told that they may not receive this coverage when they reach age 65. It is scary to think that those who are paying into Medicare now may not have any insurance when they reach their golden years. After all, the golden years will be much less golden without health care coverage.

We are encouraged to continue paying for Medicare at the insistence from the government that everything is ok and that we will get the enjoy those benefits when we reach retirement. It is true that if everyone continues to pay into Medicare, it will continue to provide benefits into the coming years. It is set up to have each generation support the previous one and a future generation will support the current supporters. Medicare has followed this model and has worked well from its inception, but no one can predict the factors in play in the next 5, 10 or 20 + years.

Medicare and all its problems are still a godsend and life extension provider for the elderly and their peers to continue to receive the necessary health care they need. Many have to pay a little extra for the Medicare and the prescription plan coverage that is still a good deal to help the money go as far as it can and is certainly better than trying to pay medical bills without this coverage.

Over time there may be further payments to be made by this nation's elderly and this money coming out of social security funds can really be devastating to those who are on this fixed income. Surely the Medicare system will not fall through completely but over time the benefits will probably be less and the costs greater. This thought is a little frightening for those of us considering the small amount that we will be receiving in social security benefits when we reach age 65.

The government doesn't divulge where exactly all the money paid into this system goes to. Those paying their share that have a few years before reaching 65, are being ask to continue to trust what they are told. Without the safety net that the Medicare and other health care programs provide, it could spell a decline in the lifespan of the average American citizen as well as not being a good model to promote on the world stage.