‘87 Cost to Medicare Recipients Put at $700
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WASHINGTON — The 28 million elderly Americans receiving Medicare benefits will have to pay an average of $700 from their own pockets next year for medical care, the Congressional Budget Office estimated Wednesday.
Most beneficiaries have private insurance to help pay for Medicare’s deductible and co-insurance charges. But 20% of the elderly, those not eligible for more complete coverage under the separate Medicaid program for impoverished Americans, must pay these expenses themselves, Nancy M. Gordon, a budget office economist, told the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee.
In 1984, 5.5 million people “had no protection other than Medicare,” she testified.
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