# How much is your Medicare benefit worth?



## Trade (Jul 14, 2017)

So far the latest data I have been able to find is from 2011. At that time the federal government was paying $796 a month of the cost of Part's A and B while most beneficiaries were paying $115, for a total of $909 a month. I'm sure it's more now in 2017. I'm going to be conservative and say that if you have Medicare today, you are getting about a grand a month's worth of Insurance from the Government for the pittance you pay for your part B premium. If that sounds like a lot, try to buy a private policy for that at your age. I doubt you can find an insurance company that could come close to providing the same coverage for that.  

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-medicares-worth-over-200000-to-you/



> Ever wonder how much Medicare's worth to you, after paying FICA taxes  during your working years? Let's break it down and find out. If you've paid FICA taxes for at least 40 calendar quarters, you'll  receive free coverage for Medicare Part A, the hospital insurance  portion. You can still get Medicare coverage even if you haven't paid  FICA taxes for that many quarters, but it's gonna cost you. For example,  if you've paid FICA taxes for fewer than 30 calendar quarters, you can  buy Part A coverage for a monthly premium of $450 in 2011. And if you've  paid FICA taxes for 30 to 39 quarters, the monthly premium in 2011 is  $248.
> So if you're eligible to receive Medicare Part A for free, you're  receiving a value of $450 per month, or $5,400 per year. If you're  retired for 20 years -- a typical lifespan for people who attain age 65  -- then you'll realize a value of at least $108,000, and probably more,  since that $450 premium will certainly increase substantially as future  medical costs continue to rise. (For more details on what you can expect  from Medicare after age 65, see my recent post, 8 Essential Steps for Enrolling in Medicare).
> Now let's look at Medicare Part B, the portion covering physician and  outpatient services. If you're a new retiree in 2011, you're required to  pay a monthly premium of $115.40, no matter how many calendar quarters  you worked. This premium covers about one-fourth of the program's cost.  The remainder -- about $346 -- is being paid from the federal  government's general revenues. The monthly premium adds up to $4,152 per  year. Again, if you're retired for 20 years, that represents a value of  $83,040.
> So add up the $108,000 in value for Medicare Part A, and the $83,040 for  Medicare Part B, and the total value to you is $191,040 over the course  of 20 years. If you add in inflation in medical costs, this value will  easily exceed $200,000. This amount grows even larger if you live longer  than 20 years, and double that amount if you're married.


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## Outdoorsygal (Sep 3, 2017)

Per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, in 2015, it was $9900 per person. Now I imagine it is over 10K

https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statis...onalHealthExpendData/downloads/highlights.pdf


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## applecruncher (Sep 3, 2017)

2017 Medicare costs/benefit:

https://www.medicare.gov/your-medicare-costs/costs-at-a-glance/costs-at-glance.html


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## Outdoorsygal (Sep 3, 2017)

^^^ That is _our_ out of pocket costs, not the governments.


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## Aunt Bea (Sep 3, 2017)

I would think that $1,000.00/month is in the ballpark and that the premiums would actually get much higher as we age and acquire more _medical baggage_.

When it comes to the cost of medicare we shouldn't lose sight of the amount that we pay into the program and the amount that our employers pay in for us.  In over 30 ears of working my contribution was $44,678.00.

I've read that healthcare is approx. 26% of GDP so it is no surprise that it would soak up a large portion of the average persons income.


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## Lethe200 (Sep 11, 2017)

To us? Nothing but a minus. We have retiree healthcare anyway, so all it does is double and triple our monthly premiums. It gives us nothing that the HMO didn't already provide.


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