Medicare Blog

why didn't obama just extend medicare to everyone

by Elias Prosacco Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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How does Obamacare affect Medicare?

Obamacare works on the premise that those who can afford a greater share of healthcare’s financial burden will do so through higher premiums. In general, Medicare remains largely unaffected by this premise. However, there are always exceptions to the rule.

Does Obamacare replace Medicare?

ObamaCare makes some changes to Medicare (discussed below), but the ACA (ObamaCare) doesn’t replace Medicare. Medicare isn’t part of your State’s health insurance marketplace (sometimes called an exchange), so if you have Medicare keep it.

Can I get Obamacare if I have Medicare or Medicare Advantage?

You will still get all the new benefits, rights, and protections ObamaCare offers on your current Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage Plan. If you have retiree insurance, aren’t old enough for Medicare, and don’t like it, you may choose to use the marketplace to replace that insurance.

What happens to Medicaid without Obamacare expansion?

• Low-income families and other Americans who would be eligible for Medicaid will fall between the cracks without expansion (as they do now). ObamaCare will most likely have to insure them in the ObamaCare health exchanges. This is projected to drive up the cost of insurance for all Americans by a significant amount.

What does the ACA do to improve Medicare?

How much will Medicare penalties increase over the next two years?

How much did Obamacare cut in 2022?

What are the Medicare cuts?

What is the ACA tax increase?

What is the discount for Medicare Part D?

How many hospital readmissions were there in 2012?

See more

About this website

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Why was public option removed from Obamacare?

The public option was initially proposed for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but was removed after independent Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman threatened a filibuster.

Did congress approve Obamacare?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.

How has Obama changed healthcare?

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, putting in place comprehensive reforms that improve access to affordable health coverage for everyone and protect consumers from abusive insurance company practices.

What was Obama's healthcare plan?

The Affordable Care Act, which is also referred to as ACA or Obamacare, was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010. The act was a major overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system, reducing the amount of uncompensated care the average family pays for.

Why did ACA fail?

Unfortunately, the reality has been the opposite. Choices plummeted. Premiums and deductibles spiked for plans that covered fewer providers and hospitals. Enrollees complain of a “two-tiered system” given that many doctors refuse to take ACA plans because of their low payment rates.

Was Obamacare successful?

Overview. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law in March of 2010 and despite repeated attacks, not only has it survived – it has thrived, and continues to provide tens of millions of Americans with access to health care coverage.

What are the cons of the Affordable Care Act?

Cons:The cost has not decreased for everyone. Those who do not qualify for subsidies may find marketplace health insurance plans unaffordable. ... Loss of company-sponsored health plans. ... Tax penalties. ... Shrinking networks. ... Shopping for coverage can be complicated.

Is Obamacare the same as Affordable Care Act?

Are Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act the Same Thing? Yes, Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are the same thing. The health care reform law was nicknamed after President Barack Obama, who formally signed the ACA in March 2010.

Who benefits from the Affordable Care Act?

Under ACA, premium subsidies were made available to those who made between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level and buy insurance through an exchange.

Is Obamacare for everyone?

Obamacare ensures all Americans in California can get health insurance and can access medical care without having to pay a lot of money in the process. It is mandatory that everyone gets health insurance in California, and you might be subjected to a penalty if you don't.

Is Obamacare free?

If you're unemployed you may be able to get an affordable health insurance plan through the Marketplace, with savings based on your income and household size. You may also qualify for free or low-cost coverage through Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

What does Obamacare not cover?

They typically do not cover preventive medical care, maternity care, or pre-existing medical conditions, and they may not cover prescription drugs. You can be turned down for short-term coverage based on your medical history.

Medicare and The Healthcare Marketplace

Confusion abounds when it comes to Obamacare. One of the things people fear most is that their insurance will change drastically if they enroll in...

Does Your Medicare Coverage Meet The Affordable Care Act’S Individual Mandate?

Under the ACA, every eligible American citizen needs to obtain health insurance or face a penalty fine issued by the IRS during their annual taxes....

Essential Healthcare Benefits For All Americans

One of the biggest concerns among Medicare beneficiaries is that Obamacare will alter their existing coverage, so that they won’t enjoy the same be...

The New Standard of Care For Seniors

In many ways, the Affordable Care Act improves the standard of care that those with insurance receive. And, it helps to prevent the spread of disea...

Medicare Part D: Closing The Gap of Prescription Drug Coverage

If you have Medicare Part D prescription coverage, then you may be familiar with the concept of the coverage gap or “donut hole.” The coverage gap...

Medicare Budget Cuts Under The Affordable Care Act

For some people, the idea that the Affordable Care Act will be cutting approximately $716 billion from Medicare is frightening. The number can seem...

Changes to Medicare Premiums and Payments

We mentioned above that some people will have to pay a higher premium for Medicare coverage under the guidelines of the ACA. Obamacare works on the...

Medicare and Obamacare – Our Conclusion

There do seem to be many changes coming to Medicare as a result of the Affordable Care Act. However, these changes are aimed at improving the syste...

Over 65 and Don’t Qualify for Medicare, Can I Get Obamacare?

IT is very risky to not use Medicare. You can owe a bigger premium if you don’t continue it from your initial enrollment period on. Without giving you my feelings on that, I would generally say there isn’t a better option for a Medicaid eligible person…

Can I Get ObamaCare Coverage if I Have Medicare A Only?

it bothers me that since i have medicare and have worked my whole life,i am not able to get free coverage with obamacare. obamacare pays for taxis for people case workers all prescriptions are free etc etc medicare ALWAYS has a cost to the coverage! great job obama people that have NEVER worked get everything for free from us tax payers! if it wasnt for us tax payers people would get S#*T!

Medicare vs. Obamacare 2022 | Affordable Care Act (ACA) & Medicare ...

The Affordable Care Act (ACA, also commonly called Obamacare) and Medicare are two very different concepts.. The ACA is a sweeping series of laws that regulate the US health insurance industry. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities or medical conditions.

The Differences Between Medicare and Obamacare

Medicare and The Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) affect health insurance coverage for millions of Americans in very different ways. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for Americans over age 65 and certain people under age 65 who have qualifying conditions or disabilities."Obamacare" is a nickname for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (also known ...

Obamacare vs Medicare (The Difference) | Medicare Nationwide

What is Medicare? Medicare was signed into law by President Lydon Johnson in 1965. The law took effect in 1966. Americans aged 65 and older were enrolled in Part A Medicare and millions of other seniors signed up for Part B of Medicare.

How does Obamacare help people?

In many ways, the Affordable Care Act improves the standard of care that those with insurance receive. And, it helps to prevent the spread of diseases and other medical conditions to people without insurance. Medicare beneficiaries, in particular, gain valuable advantages, like being able to afford brand name prescription drugs or getting yearly colonoscopies to detect early forms of cancer. Obamacare seeks to help people stay healthier for longer by making better coverage an affordable option; this goal extends to Medicare beneficiaries. And despite the emphasis on better medical treatments and prevention, the new standard of healthcare doesn’t affect how you sign up for or receive your Medicare benefits.

What are the benefits of Medicare under the ACA?

One of the benefits included under minimum essential coverage is the ability to see your doctor for yearly screenings and wellness checkups.

What is a Medicare Part D coverage gap?

If you have Medicare Part D prescription coverage, then you may be familiar with the concept of the coverage gap or “donut hole.” The coverage gap happens when a person reaches the limit for covered prescriptions, but has to wait until he gets to the other side of the “donut” or coverage period to get covered prescriptions again.

What is the individual mandate?

Known as the “individual mandate,” it played an important role in the funding and ongoing sustainability of Obamacare. Fortunately, if you had Medicare Part A, then you met the individual mandate requirement up until this year, and you didn’t need to do anything else to prove your compliance.

Is Demetrius a Medicare beneficiary?

As a Medicare beneficiary for the last five years, Demetrius is already familiar with what Medicare covers and how his medical claims get filed. Demetrius is fairly healthy, but he does need to visit the doctor more frequently than some men his age, because he has a family history of diabetes and stroke.

Does Obamacare affect Medicare?

One of the biggest concerns among Medicare beneficiaries is that Obamacare will alter their existing coverage, so that they won’t enjoy the same benefits as before. In reality, the Affordable Care Act seeks to strengthen health insurance across the board, including Medicare.

When did the Affordable Care Act change?

The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, made significant changes to the healthcare industry in the United States starting in 2010. Several of these changes centered on the social insurance policy of Medicare, including the way that Medicare is administered and distributed. Sorting through Medicare policies can be challenging enough, ...

What does the ACA do to improve Medicare?

Here are some things that the program does to improve Medicare: • The ACA (ObamaCare) closes the “donut hole” that was causing Seniors not to be able to afford their prescriptions. (The Medicare ‘donut hole’ is the Part D drug coverage limit where seniors must start paying out of pocket for their prescriptions.

How much will Medicare penalties increase over the next two years?

ACA (ObamaCare) Medicare penalties and rewards will rise over the next two years to a total of 2%.

How much did Obamacare cut in 2022?

ObamaCare Medicare Cuts, Changes in Medicare Spending. Over the ten year period between 2013 and 2022, ObamaCare will cut Medicare by $716 billion and spend nearly that much trying to reform it. In fact, all money cut from Medicare must be used to increase Medicare solvency, improve its services, or reduce premiums.

What are the Medicare cuts?

The Medicare cuts contained in the law were aimed at improving care by limiting fraud, waste, and abuse. The money saved from those cuts has been reinvested in Medicare and the ACA to improve care for seniors.

What is the ACA tax increase?

The ACA (ObamaCare) Medicare Tax Increase. The ACA (ObamaCare) implements a Medicare tax part A increase of .9% for businesses making over $250,000 in profit and employees earning over $200,000 to help pay for the improvements to Medicare.

What is the discount for Medicare Part D?

This means there’s a temporary limit on what the drug plan will cover for drugs. Seniors in the Medicare Part D “donut hole” can now get a 50% discount when buying Part D-covered brand-name prescription drugs and a 14% discount on generic drugs covered by Part D.

How many hospital readmissions were there in 2012?

During the last half of 2012, CMS reports that hospital readmissions dropped by 70,000 for the first time on record. By December 1st, 2013 the ACA’s (ObamaCare’s) Medicare reforms had already increased the quality of care and decreased costs.

What is the Obamacare expansion?

An Overview of Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act (“ObamaCare”) ObamaCare’s Medicaid Expansion is one of the biggest milestones in health care reform. ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion expands Medicaid to our nation’s poorest in order cover nearly half of uninsured Americans. However, a change to the law has left millions ...

How much will Obamacare pay for Medicaid expansion?

If all states move forward with ObamaCare’s Medicaid Expansion, they would collectively pay $76 billion (a 3% increase) to insure up to 21.3 Million individuals who don’t have access to health insurance (about half of the entire nation’s uninsured) over the next decade.

What is the Medicaid gap?

Since states have the right to opt-out of expanding Medicaid without losing any federal funding, many potentially eligible Americans are left in “ the Medicaid gap .” The gap refers to those who don’t qualify for Medicaid and don’t make enough to qualify for Marketplace Subsidies either.

What is the new Obamacare replacement plan?

Some states have unique eligibility rules, so make sure to learn about all options available to you in your state. TIP: “ The American Health Care Act ” (The New ObamaCare Replacement Plan) changes the way Medicaid expansion works and that could lead to less low-income Americans having access to coverage over time.

What are the reforms to Obamacare?

The ObamaCare Medicaid reforms that come with ObamaCare’s Medicaid Expansion include raising the amount doctors get paid to the same level of Medicare (73%) and increasing payments to Medicaid programs that offer preventive services for free or at little cost.

How much does Medicaid expansion cost?

In states that do expand Medicaid, all legal residents who earn less than $15,302 for individuals and $31,155 for families of four can receive Medicaid under Medicaid Expansion.

How many days can you sign up for medicaid?

Medicaid and CHIP: You can sign up for Medicaid and CHIP 365 days a year. You may qualify for free or low-cost care for Medicaid based on income and family size if you make 138% of the poverty level or, for example, $17,609 individual or $36,156 for a family of four in 2020. Specifics may differ by state.

What did Elizabeth Drew say about the 2010 election?

In a forthcoming article in The New York Review of Books, the veteran journalist Elizabeth Drew suggests that members of the White House political team saw the 2010 election as a referendum on government spending and that they believe that cutting spending is the way to win next year.

Was the President's offer to the G.O.P. bad?

Specifically, according to many reports, the president offered both means-testing of Medicare benefits and a rise in the age of Medicare eligibility. The first would be bad policy; the second would be terrible policy.

Is raising the Medicare age bad?

So raising the Medicare age is a terrible idea. Means-testing — reducing benefits for wealthier Americans — isn’t equally bad, but it’s still poor policy. It’s true that Medicare expenses could be reduced by requiring high-income Americans to pay higher premiums, higher co-payments, etc.

Does raising taxes reduce incentives to work?

But, you may say, raising taxes would reduce incentives to work and create wealth. Well, so would means-testing: As conservative economists love to point out in other contexts — for example, when criticizing programs like food stamps — benefits that fall as your income rises in effect raise your marginal tax rate.

How would Medicare for All affect physicians?

Under the Medicare-for-All plan, private insurance would be eliminated and physicians who are in private practice would be paid on a fee-for-service basis through a national fee schedule, likely at the current Medicare rate or slightly lower. By eliminating the insurance industry, the plan would also eliminate one million jobs. The new fee schedule would be significantly lower than the current industry fee schedule, which means Medicare-for-All would likely lower physician incomes in a significant way, making a bad situation for physicians even worse.

What are the six critical objectives that could improve quality while reducing the cost of healthcare?

There are six critical objectives that, if achieved, could improve quality while reducing the cost of healthcare by as much $1 trillion per year: 1. Provide universal health care by requiring all employers to provide health insurance for their employees.

What do liberals and moderates want?

Both liberal and moderate Democrats want a universal health care system that covers all Americans. They would like a single-payer system like Medicare-for-All or a combination of public and private payers that would cover everyone.

Which profession has the highest burnout rate?

And doctors face the highest burnout rate among all professions -- as many as 46% of doctors in the U.S. have suffered from burnout at some time in their careers, according to Dr. Dike Drummond in his article from Family Practice Management Journal.

Does Medicare cover dental care?

It would expand Medicare coverage to include dental, vision and long-term nursing home care . There are many questions about how this approach to universal care would be funded. No budget has been provided, though estimates vary from an annual increase in cost of $3.2 trillion to an annual savings of $600 billion.

Is there an alternative to Obamacare?

There is an alternative to both Obamacare and Medicare-for-All. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduces the Medicare for All Act of 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta) The Associated Press. Senator Bernie Sanders recently announced his Medicare-for-All bill.

Who introduced Medicare for All?

Senator Bernie Sanders recently announced his Medicare-for-All bill. This is basically the senate version of the congressional bill introduced by Pra mila Jaya pal. The bill would eliminate the insurance industry and much of the billing bureaucracy that exists today. It would provide health care coverage for everyone and eliminate copays ...

Who called for Medicare reform?

Richard Nixon called for it. Jimmy Carter called for it. Bill Clinton called for it. But while significant individual reforms have been made – such as Medicare, Medicaid, and the children’s health insurance program – efforts at comprehensive reform that covers everyone and brings down costs have largely failed.

Why do we need to use Medicare reimbursements?

Second, we need to use Medicare reimbursements to reduce preventable hospital readmissions. Right now, almost 20 percent of Medicare patients discharged from hospitals are readmitted within a month, often because they are not getting the comprehensive care they need. This puts people at risk and drives up costs.

What was Obama's rhetorical tack on his campaign?

An effective rhetorical tack on Obama's campaign was casting his health care plan as a middle ground between private sector greed and a government takeover, and in an address to the American Medical Association today , he took a version of that tack in selling his public plan to that tough crowd:

Will Medicare and Medicaid grow?

And if we fail to act, federal spending on Medicaid and Medicare will grow over the coming decades by an amount almost equal to the amount our government currently spends on our nation’s defense. In fact, it will eventually grow larger than what our government spends on anything else today.

Is health care reform inevitable?

That is a fact. And yet, as clear as it is that our system badly needs reform, reform is not inevitable.

What does the ACA do to improve Medicare?

Here are some things that the program does to improve Medicare: • The ACA (ObamaCare) closes the “donut hole” that was causing Seniors not to be able to afford their prescriptions. (The Medicare ‘donut hole’ is the Part D drug coverage limit where seniors must start paying out of pocket for their prescriptions.

How much will Medicare penalties increase over the next two years?

ACA (ObamaCare) Medicare penalties and rewards will rise over the next two years to a total of 2%.

How much did Obamacare cut in 2022?

ObamaCare Medicare Cuts, Changes in Medicare Spending. Over the ten year period between 2013 and 2022, ObamaCare will cut Medicare by $716 billion and spend nearly that much trying to reform it. In fact, all money cut from Medicare must be used to increase Medicare solvency, improve its services, or reduce premiums.

What are the Medicare cuts?

The Medicare cuts contained in the law were aimed at improving care by limiting fraud, waste, and abuse. The money saved from those cuts has been reinvested in Medicare and the ACA to improve care for seniors.

What is the ACA tax increase?

The ACA (ObamaCare) Medicare Tax Increase. The ACA (ObamaCare) implements a Medicare tax part A increase of .9% for businesses making over $250,000 in profit and employees earning over $200,000 to help pay for the improvements to Medicare.

What is the discount for Medicare Part D?

This means there’s a temporary limit on what the drug plan will cover for drugs. Seniors in the Medicare Part D “donut hole” can now get a 50% discount when buying Part D-covered brand-name prescription drugs and a 14% discount on generic drugs covered by Part D.

How many hospital readmissions were there in 2012?

During the last half of 2012, CMS reports that hospital readmissions dropped by 70,000 for the first time on record. By December 1st, 2013 the ACA’s (ObamaCare’s) Medicare reforms had already increased the quality of care and decreased costs.

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