Medicare Blog

why medicare should not be cut

by Nakia Aufderhar MD Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Employment means money and money means spending. If you cut Medicare, Medicaid

Medicaid

Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and personal care services. The Health Insurance As…

, SSDI and other similar programs, the unemployment rate for PWDs (which is already horrible) will continue to rise. Also, without money to spend, the number of PWDs’ spending power will plummet, and the economy will suffer for it.

Full Answer

Is there an easy fix for Medicare cuts?

This is unconscionable, and it's worse because there's an easy fix. Congress can direct the CMS to suspend these cuts by waiving the requirement that changes to Medicare must be budget-neutral. That would allow CMS a one-time reprieve from balancing its budget, and it would give the medical profession an opportunity to recover and rebuild.

How much would the GOP budget cut from Medicare?

The Republican Study Committee, a conservative GOP House Caucus, proposed a budget last week that would slash $2.5 trillion from current Medicare projections, $3.3 trillion from other health programs including Medicaid and trim $3.5 trillion from other mandatory social safety programs.

Will Medicare recipients get a premium reduction next year?

Medicare recipients will get a premium reduction — but not until next year. That reflects what Becerra says was an overestimate in costs of covering a costly and controversial new Alzheimer's drug.

Will Medicare cut breast cancer screening services?

That's because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed cuts to certain Medicare services, including breast cancer screening, radiation oncology and physical therapy, along with other medical specialties.

What cuts will Medicare make in 2021?

Is a doctor's office a charity?

Is Medicare a long delay?

Can Congress suspend Medicare cuts?

See more

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What are the disadvantages of Medicare for All?

Cons of Medicare for All:Providers can choose only private pay options unless mandated differently.Doesn't solve the shortage of doctors.Health insurance costs may not disappear.Requires a tax increase.Shifts costs of employer coverage.

What are two major problems with respect to the future of Medicare?

Financing care for future generations is perhaps the greatest challenge facing Medicare, due to sustained increases in health care costs, the aging of the U.S. population, and the declining ratio of workers to beneficiaries.

Are Democrats trying to cut Medicare Advantage?

Sadly, as part of their push for the $5 billion socialist Build Back Better agenda, Democrats proposed spending $285 billion to pull beneficiaries away from Medicare Advantage—despite its popularity among seniors—into an outdated single-payer system that rewards volume over value.

What would happen if we didn't have Medicare?

Payroll taxes would fall 10 percent, wages would go up 11 percent and output per capita would jump 14.5 percent. Capital per capita would soar nearly 38 percent as consumers accumulated more assets, an almost ninefold increase compared to eliminating Medicare alone.

Will Medicare exist in the future?

The reports echo past conclusions: Social Security and Medicare are still going bankrupt. At its current pace, Medicare will go bankrupt in 2026 (the same as last year's projection) and the Social Security Trust Funds for old-aged benefits and disability benefits will become exhausted by 2034.

What will Medicare look like in the future?

After a 9 percent increase from 2021 to 2022, enrollment in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program is expected to surpass 50 percent of the eligible Medicare population within the next year. At its current rate of growth, MA is on track to reach 69 percent of the Medicare population by the end of 2030.

Is Congress trying to get rid of Medicare Advantage plans?

A large swath of House and Senate lawmakers is pushing the Biden administration not to install any cuts to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in the coming 2023 rates.

Is Medicare Advantage going to be eliminated?

In a word—no, Medicare isn't going away any time soon, and Medicare Advantage plans aren't being phased out. The Medicare Advantage (Part C) program is administered through Medicare-approved private insurance companies.

Are they going to cut Medicare Advantage?

But with close to $200 billion in direct and indirect cuts now slated to come out of the program, enrollment could fall to as low as 7.4 million several years from now, said Medicare Actuary Richard Foster.

How Medicare for all would hurt the economy?

The real trouble comes when Medicare for all is financed by deficits. With government borrowing, universal health care could shrink the economy by as much as 24% by 2060, as investments in private capital are reduced.

Why is Medicare so important?

#Medicare plays a key role in providing health and financial security to 60 million older people and younger people with disabilities. It covers many basic health services, including hospital stays, physician services, and prescription drugs.

Do we need Medicare?

At age 65, or if you have certain disabilities, you become eligible for health coverage through various parts of the Medicare program. While Medicare isn't necessarily mandatory, it is automatically offered in some situations and may take some effort to opt out of.

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What cuts will Medicare make in 2021?

That's because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed cuts to certain Medicare services, including breast cancer screening, radiation oncology and physical therapy , along with other medical specialties. The agency is proposing shifting billions from specialist doctors — radiologists, surgeons and the like — to primary care physicians in order to address the shortage of primary care physicians in the country. Per the HHS, "A five percent annual reduction to the valuations of all non-primary care services and procedures, as determined by the Secretary, under the Physician Fee Schedule will pay for the cost of these payments." But in the process, this move would complicate the lives of patients who need to see specialists, including specialists like myself in radiology.

Is a doctor's office a charity?

The issue, of course, is that doctors' offices aren't charities — they're businesses. They depend on reimbursements from Medicare and insurance companies to stay afloat, particularly from people who come in for follow-up screenings and non-critical issues — the exact patients who they haven't been able to see lately.

Is Medicare a long delay?

Millions will wake up to a Medicare system that operates with long delays for previously routine services; conditions that are normally treatable with early detection will thrive undetected. Read More. This is unconscionable, and it's worse because there's an easy fix.

Can Congress suspend Medicare cuts?

This is unconscionable, and it's worse because there's an easy fix. Congress can direct the CMS to suspend these cuts by waiving the requirement that changes to Medicare must be budget-neutral. That would allow CMS a one-time reprieve from balancing its budget, and it would give the medical profession an opportunity to recover and rebuild. Alternatively, if Congress wants to allow the budget neutrality rules to remain in place, then it should authorize emergency funds to cover the gap.

How much will Medicare be cut?

In terms of Medicare, Senate Democrats estimate that the first cut would be in the range of $25 billion, starting in fiscal year 2018. Over the next decade, the cuts would total as much as $400 billion.

When will the Medicare donut hole close?

One immediate casualty of cuts on the horizon could be preventing the closing of the “donut hole” in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program, scheduled to occur by 2020 under the ACA. (The donut hole is the amount of prescription drug costs Medicare beneficiaries must pay out-of-pocket; in 2017, that means expenses between $3,700 and $4,950.)

Why was Medicare and Medicaid created?

Medicare and Medicaid were created as part of “The Great Society,” an era when the role of government in helping the vulnerable was not debated — it was a responsibility. Let’s also remember that words matter. Medicare and Social Security are not “entitlement” programs.

Why is Medicaid a block grant?

Converting Medicaid to a block grant gives an unprecedented degree of control to states to determine which services to cover and which to eliminate. It also almost ensures that states will have less money to work with. Less money means more difficult choices on whom not to cover — a child, a pregnant woman, a person with a disability or an older adult needing long- term care.

What are the two most common proposals for Medicaid through “entitlement reform”?

The two most common proposals for Medicaid through “entitlement reform” are to block-grant it to the states or impose a per-capita spending limit on the program. Both have real dangers for those who rely on the Medicaid.

Will Medicare cuts affect Medicare beneficiaries?

While some Republicans have said that the first cuts would only directly affect doctors, hospitals and other health providers, it is an absolute myth to believe that they won’t impact beneficiaries — Americans 65 and older —very directly. Republicans have also been calling for raising the age of Medicare eligibility from 65 to 67 and moving Medicare to a premium-support, or voucher, program.

Does Medicaid cover nursing home care?

For the first time in history, Medicaid now spends more on home and community-based care than on nursing home care. In fact, according to a New York Times article, five states (Alaska, Arizona, Minnesota, New Mexico and Oregon) spend more than two-thirds of their Medicaid budgets for long-term care on home and community-based care. A deeper investment in home and community-based care, which older adults and their families prefer (and can often be less expensive than nursing home care), should be an essential ingredient in Medicaid reform.

What cuts will Medicare make in 2021?

That's because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed cuts to certain Medicare services, including breast cancer screening, radiation oncology and physical therapy , along with other medical specialties. The agency is proposing shifting billions from specialist doctors — radiologists, surgeons and the like — to primary care physicians in order to address the shortage of primary care physicians in the country. Per the HHS, "A five percent annual reduction to the valuations of all non-primary care services and procedures, as determined by the Secretary, under the Physician Fee Schedule will pay for the cost of these payments." But in the process, this move would complicate the lives of patients who need to see specialists, including specialists like myself in radiology.

Is a doctor's office a charity?

The issue, of course, is that doctors' offices aren't charities — they're businesses. They depend on reimbursements from Medicare and insurance companies to stay afloat, particularly from people who come in for follow-up screenings and non-critical issues — the exact patients who they haven't been able to see lately.

Is Medicare a long delay?

Millions will wake up to a Medicare system that operates with long delays for previously routine services; conditions that are normally treatable with early detection will thrive undetected. Read More. This is unconscionable, and it's worse because there's an easy fix.

Can Congress suspend Medicare cuts?

This is unconscionable, and it's worse because there's an easy fix. Congress can direct the CMS to suspend these cuts by waiving the requirement that changes to Medicare must be budget-neutral. That would allow CMS a one-time reprieve from balancing its budget, and it would give the medical profession an opportunity to recover and rebuild. Alternatively, if Congress wants to allow the budget neutrality rules to remain in place, then it should authorize emergency funds to cover the gap.

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