R.I.P. Medicare: 1965–2025

It’s quite possible that within the next three years, Medicare — one of President Lyndon Johnson’s crowning achievements 60 years ago — will cease to exist.

In its place will be the privatized, profit-driven crap shoot republicans, some on-the-take Democrats, and the lobbyists who own them, have been designing since 2003 with the passage of the “Medicare Modernization Act” that created “Medicare Advantage” under Medicare’s Part-C provision.

Under its current model, seniors aged 65 and over and younger Americans with certain disabilities are guaranteed care except for round-the-clock home day care, home meal delivery, shopping. cleaning, and custodial or personal care assisting with daily living activities like bathing, dressing, or toileting.

If a doctor requires a medically necessary test, Medicare pays 80 percent. Insurance companies are required to write a Medigap policy for the remaining 20 percent at reasonable prices when someone turns 65, no matter how sick one may be or what preexisting condition(s) one may have. As long as a doctor signs off on a procedure as medically necessary, there is no denial of coverage as we have come to expect from insurance industry CEOs and corporate boards of directors with their eyes on the profit margin.