“They always lump MEDICAID in there when they discuss spending as if all the seniors are welfare cases . What premiums have MEDICAID recipients paid and continue to pay?”
You may “pay into the system” but you take out a lot more than you ever pay in. That’s welfare, subsidy, screwing over your children/grandchildren, etc. etc.
You need to get this through your head - every senior needs to get this through their heads, so you can stop with the illusion that you pay your own way. You don’t.
Except that every Senior should be paid more than they put in.
If you are only paid what you put in, then you have received no return on your investment. The minimum amount that should be paid is the Present Worth of an annuity for all the years you paid in for the inflation rate over that period.
For example, if a person collecting social security put in $500 for the year in 1975, and we have averaged 5% inflation over the past 40 years since he put that money in, that %500 in 1975 dollars is worth $3,500.
It would be hard for me to calculate the annuity because inflation pushed pay up over the 40 years and you earn a lot more as you get promotions and raises, so the most recent contribution would be much much higher for the last year, but of course that may only be compounded over say 10 years if the retiree collecting SS today retired in 2005.
The point is, you can’t just add up the contributions and then say anything the retiree collects over that he hasn’t paid in. That is not true. You have to calculate the present worth of the time value of that money he put in over his 30 year career. It is going to be a LOT more than the face value put in. It could be 3 or 4 times face value depending on the inflation rate experienced.
People who started putting money in in 1975 were experiencing a 10 ar 15% inflation rate back then. That is not insignificant.
But just saying “You put in $125,000 and you are collecting way more” isn’t true. You have to calculate the present value of those contributions by the inflation rates they incurred.
For over 50 years the govt took roughly 12% of every payday for a great many people probably including your parents and grandparents
Now if you want to take a principled stand, then you pay your parents’ medical bills . Of courses, the law says that you HAVE to sign up for MEDICARE or you can't collect social security - so you can support them there, too
Oh and if they are retired military? NO military health care after 65 unless they sign up for MEDICARE.
You give me better options and send me back 50 years and release me from the laws taking my money and maybe I make different choices