Increasing the federal share of Medicaid costs (the federal medical assistance percentage, or FMAP) would not only protect health coverage during the pandemic and recession, but also increase employment and economic output by providing relief to hard-pressed state...
off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Policymakers Should Prevent Recession-Related Social Security Benefit Drops
June 23, 2020
The next COVID-19 relief bill should fix an unintended benefit “notch” under which, due to the pandemic and resulting recession, Social Security benefits will be significantly lower for workers who turn 60 this year and will be eligible for early retirement benefits in 2022. Those becoming eligible for disability or young survivors benefits in 2022 will also see lower benefits.
Here’s...
Health Insurers Don’t Need Federal “Risk Corridors”
May 28, 2020
The “risk corridor” provisions that were added at the last minute to the House-passed Heroes Act would provide an unnecessary benefit for health insurers and do not merit inclusion in the next COVID-19 relief bill. With no indication that health insurers’ net costs are rising due to the pandemic, even well-designed risk...
Senate GOP Response to Pandemic, Recession Is Seriously Inadequate
March 20, 2020
The Senate Republican proposal for a third bill to address the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis is woefully inadequate to meet the extraordinary challenges now facing the nation.
Medicare in the 2021 Trump Budget
February 13, 2020
President Trump’s 2021 budget proposes about $500 billion in net Medicare spending reductions over ten years (see table), most of which would come from reducing payments to health care providers and not affect beneficiaries directly.
For the most part, the budget does not reflect the President’s efforts...
Affordable Care Act Still Reduces Deficits, Despite Tax Repeals
January 9, 2020
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) remains likely to reduce federal budget deficits substantially in coming years, despite December’s repeal of three ACA taxes. Repealing the excise tax on high-cost health plans (the “Cadillac tax”), the fee on health insurance providers (the “health insurance tax”), and the medical device excise tax will sacrifice hundreds of billions in revenues and marks a...
Enzi-Whitehouse Would Threaten Medicare and Medicaid
December 12, 2019
December 18: We’ve updated this post.
Congress should reject efforts to attach, to end-of-year spending legislation, a bill from the Senate Budget Committee’s Chairman Mike Enzi and member Sheldon Whitehouse that would change the budget process in a highly problematic way and...
Don’t Delay or Repeal Health-Related Taxes
December 9, 2019
As part of year-end tax and spending legislation, Congress may consider delaying or repealing several tax provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA): the 2.3 percent excise tax on medical devices, the fee on health insurance providers (the “health insurance tax”), the excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans (the “Cadillac tax”), and the limitation on using tax-advantaged health...
Don’t Forget Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries When Improving Drug Benefits
September 4, 2019
Low-income Medicare beneficiaries deserve special attention as Congress considers legislation to make prescription drugs more affordable. Important steps include eliminating cost-sharing for generic drugs for low-income beneficiaries and increasing participation in the Part D low-income drug subsidy.
Medicare beneficiaries with incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level are...
