Report
Medicare Is Not “Bankrupt”
The program is not on the verge of bankruptcy or ceasing to operate. Such claims demonstrate misunderstanding of Medicare’s finances.
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Policy Basics
Medicare provides health coverage to people aged 65 and older and to younger adults with permanent disabilities.
We analyze proposals that would affect Medicare (such as replacing its guarantee of coverage with a premium-support voucher) to evaluate their impact on beneficiaries. We also monitor Medicare’s finances and work to ensure that proposals to strengthen its financial health do not unduly burden beneficiaries, such as by slashing benefits or shifting costs to them.
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President Biden’s 2024 Budget Would Strengthen, Improve Medicare
The President’s budget for fiscal year 2024 contains several important proposals to protect and strengthen Medicare. By modestly raising taxes on high-income people and reducing drug prices, the...
Medicare Advantage Payment Changes Would Have Little or No Effect on Beneficiaries
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued its annual advance notice of planned Medicare Advantage (MA) payment changes for 2024. CMS estimates these changes...
Inflation Reduction Act Will Reduce Medicare Drug Costs, Not Cut Benefits
The Inflation Reduction Act, which the Senate has passed and the House is set to consider later this week, will reduce the cost of prescription drugs that are covered by Medicare, thereby...
2022 Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ Reports Show Small Improvement in Outlook
The trustees now project that the reserves of the combined Social Security trust funds will be depleted one years later than in last years’ report, and Medicare’s Hospital Insurance trust fund...
2021 Social Security and Medicare Trustees’ Reports Show Modest Effect of Pandemic and Recession
The annual reports of the Social Security and Medicare trustees, released today, indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and recession will only modestly worsen the programs’ financial...
Strengthening Medicare Financing
Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund faces depletion in only about three years, according to the latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). To improve program solvency...
Medicaid and Medicare Enrollees Need Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefits
Most Medicaid or Medicare enrollees do not have comprehensive health coverage for vision, dental, or hearing benefits. Congress should consider adding coverage for these services to Medicare and...
ACA Suit Threatens Disruption, Loss of Protections for Tens of Millions of Medicaid, Medicare Beneficiaries
Tens of millions of Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries face direct harm from a lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — which strengthened and updated both programs,...
2020 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports Do Not Reflect Effects of Pandemic and Recession
The annual reports released today don’t provide an up-to-date picture of Social Security’s and Medicare’s financial...
Medicare in the 2021 Trump Budget
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...