health insurers are requesting that congress also subsidize medicare advantage and i feel like i am losing my fucking mind

most people don't know this but there is no candidate left for president who doesn't celebrate the idea of privatizing medicare through medicare advantage. also this is the thing that congress in general wants to do. now we have to pay for the thing we pay for twice already.

here's how:
1. medicare, a program that we pay for through a payroll tax pays MA insurers to sell medicare to people
2. people buy that product which is subsidized via #1
3. we are now going to give insurers more money because they're doing MA during COVID-19

the major insurance company lobbyist wrote up a projected expenses report and sent it in a letter to congress in which they're like "mhhh this might cost $555 billion" which is certainly a number.