Medicare Cuts Don’t Hurt Beneficiaries . . . So Far
Despite the clamor and protest that accompanies even the slightest suggestion to reduce Medicare costs, especially among Medicare recipients and their advocates, the reality is cuts in the program have primarily targeted the providers.
According to Joe Antos, a health economist with the American Enterprise Institute, despite substantial cuts to Medicare over the years, "We've hardly ever directly touched beneficiaries."
In fact, says Antos, who spent years examining the impact of the cuts for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), "the whole political history of (cutting) Medicare has been focused not on beneficiaries, it's been focused on health care providers," such as doctors, hospitals and nursing homes. This year CBO estimates that spending levels for Medicare could reach $563 billion.
In fact, it can be argued that by improving the way Medicare services are delivered, our elderly consumers are the main beneficiaries. Others argue that the historical approach to trimming Medicare is “win-win.” Hmmm—could this strategy be a model for “thoughtful” and efficient budget cutting?
No comments:
Post a Comment