In the United States, Medicare is a health insurance program that provides health care coverage to the elderly, the disabled, and low-income individuals. It is funded through payroll taxes, and those who earn more than a certain amount are subject to an additional Medicare tax. This article will explore the implications of this additional tax and how it affects you.
The additional Medicare tax is a 0.9% tax on wages, compensation, and self-employment income that is over a certain threshold. For married couples, the threshold is $250,000. Anything above that is subject to an additional Medicare tax of 0.9%. This tax is a regressive tax, meaning that it is assessed at the same rate to everyone, regardless of their income level. This means that those earning over $200,000 per year pay an additional 0.9% in Medicare tax, while those earning less than $200,000 pay the same 0.9%.
The additional Medicare tax helps to fund the Medicare program, which is currently facing a financial shortfall. Due to rising health care costs and an aging population, Medicare's hospital trust fund is set to deplete its reserves in 2028. To make up the difference with borrowing or additional tax revenue. This additional tax revenue comes from the additional Medicare tax.
Workers who get paid in cash, especially sex workers, face extra challenges during tax season. Sex worker and enrolled agent Daisy Douglas explains that because cash income is not tracked by employers, workers do not have access to the usual tax forms such as W-2 or 1099 that are used to report income. This means that sex workers may have to pay additional taxes such as the Social Security and Medicare tax On Unreported Tip Income.
For employers, the amounts of income tax withholding and additional Medicare tax withholding cannot be adjusted after the end of the calendar year the wages were paid. This means that if an employee's wages exceed the threshold for the additional Medicare tax, the employer is responsible for withholding and remitting the additional tax.
Although additional tax revenue from the additional Medicare tax can help to address the financial shortfall, it is not enough to address the long-term financial issues of the program. In order for the additional tax revenue and changes to the program over the next few years to yield results, Congress may have to address at least some of the Medicare's financial shortfall with additional tax revenues.
One example of an additional tax revenue measure is the New York S.2162 bill, which would add an additional 7.5% tax on all earned income over $1 million. This would help to generate additional revenue for the state, and the uncapped portion of federal payroll taxes (on Medicare) yield an additional $1.4 billion for the program.
Overall, the additional Medicare tax is an important source of revenue for the Medicare program. It is assessed at the same rate to everyone, regardless of income level, and is designed to help fund the program in the face of rising health care costs and an aging population. While it can help to address the financial shortfall, it may not be enough to sustain the program in the long-term, and Congress may have to consider additional tax revenue measures to ensure its longevity.
