Thank you, that fact seems to be lost on this group of posters. The person who paid $20,000 in premiums in 5 years for his NY retirees insurance is a lot better off than he thinks. My wife and I paid well over $20,000 in 2 years. Our premiums cut in half when I went on Medicare this month so our costs dropped significantly. That said healthcare cost did not drop so who is making up the difference? Regardless if we "paid into Medicare and social security all our lives" both programs are out of money and out of control regardless of what our elected leaders say about trust funds. Although the for profit medical industry we allowed to grow out of control has given us the most advanced care in world it also only works if someone else is paying, like government for instance.