My pops sells insurance etc. and does financial planning. He just showed me something astounding. I'm sure I'll jumble the details, but here's the jist of it. With medicare, you got to buy a supplemental insurance policy to cover the high dedcutables of Medicare. Regardless of whether you used medicare or not, the Gov. is in some circumstances paying the supplimental coverage companies/HMOs 400 bucks per month ON TOP of the premiums your paying to the same company. So, these big insurance companies are essentially gettin back what they put in to the RNC. Round and round we go I guess...