Medicare
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Policy Points: Many Missed Opportunities for Congress and the President in 2007
Revised December 21, 2007
Over recent months, federal policymakers considered measures to expand children’s health coverage, strengthen Medicare, make new investments in areas like education and medical research, and extend tax relief — while maintaining fiscal discipline. Congress and the President … -
Curbing Medicare Advantage Overpayments Would Strengthen Medicare
December 5, 2007
The Senate Finance Committee is planning to consider Medicare legislation averting a scheduled cut in Medicare physician payments. The legislation is also expected to modestly reduce the sizable overpayments now being made to private insurance plans that participate in the Medicare Advantage … -
House Health Legislation Would Curb Medicare Overpayments to Private Plans, While Aiding Medicare Beneficiaries Overall
Revised August 8, 2007
The House is considering major health legislation this week. The legislation would not only reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and extend coverage to five million uninsured children but also would curb excessive payments now being made to private Medicare Advantage plans under the Medicare program and thereby … -
Private Plans Continue to Use Misleading Arguments to Oppose Reforms of Medicare Overpayments
July 31, 2007
This week, the House is scheduled to consider health legislation developed by the chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce and the House Ways and Means Committees to reauthorize and expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). This legislation, known as the “CHAMP Act,”[1] would not only reauthorize … -
House SCHIP Legislation Would Repeal Dubious “45-Percent Threshold” Provision
July 30, 2007
Legislation to extend the State Children’s Health Insurance Program and make various changes in Medicare, which the House is scheduled to consider this week, would repeal a so-called “45-Percent Threshold” provision affecting Medicare that was slipped into the 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill. Some lawmakers argue … -
Congress to Consider Repeal of Medicare Demonstration Project Designed to Promote Privatization, Rather Than Yield Valid Results
July 23, 2007
Executive Summary The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee will begin work this week on major health care legislation. Among other proposals, they plan to consider repealing a provision of the 2003 Medicare drug law that requires a large-scale, six-year demonstration project under which private insurance … -
Informing the Debate about Curbing Medicare Advantage Overpayments
July 19, 2007
(Click on the questions below to go directly to the corresponding answer.) Do private plans cost more than it costs the regular Medicare program to cover the same beneficiaries? How do Medicare Advantage overpayments affect Medicare’s finances? How do Medicare Advantage overpayments affect beneficiary premiums? … -
A Brief Analysis of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ Report
April 23, 2007
The new Trustees’ report shows that action will need to be taken to shore up Social Security’s and Medicare’s finances. In evaluating the new report, several points should be kept in mind. The most serious financing problems are in Medicare. They primarily stem not from the nature of the Medicare program … -
Statement by Robert Greenstein on the New Report from the Medicare Trustees
April 23, 2007
Today’s report shows why it is so important for Congress to stand up to the health insurance companies and eliminate the large overpayments Medicare is making to private health insurance companies. Those overpayments, which the insurance companies have launched a … -
Forthcoming Medicare Trustees’ Report May Contain Dubious "Medicare Funding Warning"
April 20, 2007
While Medicare faces a serious long-term financing problem that must be addressed, the annual report of the Social Security and Medicare trustees to be released on April 23 may contain a dubious “Medicare Funding Warning” that is based on a deeply misleading measure of the program’s health. Under a last-minute provision slipped … -
Private Plan Overpayments Weaken Medicare’s Financing and Hasten the Program’s Insolvency
April 20, 2007
Under the Medicare program, beneficiaries may elect coverage through private “Medicare Advantage” plans rather than through the traditional fee-for-service Medicare program. Although private plans were introduced into Medicare to spur competition and reduce program costs, both the … -
Low-Income and Minority Beneficiaries Do Not Rely Disproportionately on Medicare Advantage Plans
Revised April 12, 2007
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Congress’ expert advisory body on Medicare payments, reported this month that Medicare is losing billions of dollars each year because of excessive payments to private insurance plans through the Medicare Advantage program. (Under that program, Medicare beneficiaries may elect … -
Options Exist for Offsetting the Cost of Extending Health Coverage to More Low-Income Children
Revised April 12, 2007
There is growing consensus that SCHIP reauthorization should make substantial progress toward covering all uninsured low-income children. SCHIP reauthorization legislation thus will require significant increases in federal funding, so states have sufficient federal SCHIP funds both to maintain their existing SCHIP programs and to enroll … -
There Is No General “Entitlement Crisis”
January 29, 2007
As is well known, the United States will face grave budget challenges in coming decades. In a new set of federal budget projections through 2050, we find that if current policies remain unchanged, federal expenditures will increase substantially as a share of the economy and revenues will fall short of covering expenditures by increasing amounts, leading to exploding …
