Medical premiums half covered by the employer in 1967.

They could be required to pay premiums to cover some of the costs.

But there is also wide agreement that the program's premiums cover its costs only in periods of calm weather.

But the premiums to date have not covered claims, so the agency has run into a deficit estimated at $4 billion.

He said the insurers were still playing catchup after four lean years from 1996 to 1999 when premiums did not cover costs.

The first premium, for instance, will cover the entire time since your last day of employment with your former employer.

These premiums now cover only one-fourth of the real cost.

Social Security is not an insurance policy in which workers pay premiums to cover their own benefits.

Under current law, people may, in some circumstances, take tax deductions for premiums on insurance covering long-term care.

Last year, several private managed care plans abruptly decided to pull out of Medicare because the premiums were not covering their costs.