Essay on Medicare Solvency

Medicare is a federally governed insurance program, primarily serving Americans over the age of 65, younger disabled meeting specific disability criteria, and dialysis

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) had mame dramatic changes in the field of the health care system, especially in Medicare, that will seriously take effect in American seniors. Indeed, much of the health law’s new spending is financed by spending reductions in the Medicare program. In addition to the provider payment reductions, Obamacare significantly reduces payments to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans by an estimated $156 billion from 2013 to 2022.( Elmendorf, letter to Speaker Boehner). About 27 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in MA plans, a system of regulated and private plans competing against each other as an alternative to traditional Medicare. MA plans are attractive to beneficiaries because they offer more generous and comprehensive coverage than traditional Medicare by capping out-of-pocket costs and offering drug coverage to a rasonable

Medicare is provided by the government as a means of offering health insurance to those 65 years and older. If you have a Medicare plan, yours will be one of various plans offered that will cover certain things. Below is basic information on the four main plans and what they cover, so you know what you can expect to get.

The problem of rising healthcare costs is to be addressed because of its nation-wide significance. Predictions given by economic analyst suggest that funding for Medicare will run out of money and will not be operate-able by the year 2024 if government remains the major payer for healthcare and the costs of Medicare continue to rise. Government will not be able to continue financing the healthcare system on its own (Gersh, 2011).

The ever-increasing cost of Medicare and Medicaid is one of the reasons for the rushing United States budget deficit.

An analysis of tax increases may provide some options. Employees pay into the trust at a 1.45 percent payroll tax, employers contribute to the trust at a rate of 1.45 percent payroll tax. This has been the tax rate since 1987; the rate has not evolved with the economy (Moon, 2015). Increasing payroll tax by one percentage point would add $346 billion dollars to the trust by 2019. Another option, implementing a ‘sin tax’ on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages would contribute an additional $49 billion dollars. Other options for increased support to the Medicare trust fund, is to increase beneficiary

Are you aware of the various policies that are being enacted from each state to state regarding the qualification of Medicare? Medicare is funded by the federal government and each state is responsible for operating the

Medicare is the nation’s largest health insurance program. Generally, you are eligible for Medicare if you or your spouse worked for at least ten years in Medicare-covered employment and you are 65 years old and a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. Medicare-covered services include hospital insurance, inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, home health care, hospice care, and medical insurance (Medicare U.S.) With such an encompassing effect on the health insurance field, Medicare provides a haven for older individuals, and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients who require the best medical care for whatever possible reason. The only problem with this scenario is

When Medicare was first established, Medicare adopted the payment methods of Blue Cross Blue Shield which meant that the program was paid hospitals on the basis of their own costs and physicians were being reimbursed by the fees that they charged which caused hospitals and physicians to provide care without boundaries (Anderson et al., 2015). This method caused Medicare to dissipate the budget that was established for beneficiaries to utilize. Now, with the ACA being implemented, Medicare had done an overhaul of payment reimbursement. Medicare is now moving toward a volume to value payment initiative that links payment to patient outcomes, experience of care, while giving providers an incentive to limit spending

The first concern that is affected by cost shifting lies in the Medicare system. Medicare is provided to individuals who are 65 and older to obtain adequate healthcare, as well as decreasing financial worries. The government’s involvement in controlling the healthcare system can be a major disadvantage to the Medicare system, as well as private insurances. Reimbursement from private insurances and Medicare can be affected so severely that obtaining access to Medicare can become a major issue. Furthermore, the repercussion is illustrated by Dr. Lichter’s statement, “Either something happens or the healthcare system is threatened.” Without cost containment, there will be major shifts of costs to private payers and Medicare beneficiaries” (Hayes, 2008).

The Medicare trust fund is made up of two different funds. The first, is the Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and

According to Kurtz (2011) reduced Medicare payments can be made to providers or facilities as the government’s Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) sees fit (Kurtz, 2011). These reductions can be completed without congressional approval and can only be overturned by an act of congress. This practice could lead to many providers or facilities not being able to offer certain treatments due to the financial repercussions, in effect causing a rationing of care (Kurtz, 2011). This rationing will lead to decreased access to care as Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries are less and less likely to be able to find someone to treat them for such low payments. Further exacerbating this problem is the cuts to Medicare payments outline in the Act, where nearly $750 billion in cuts will be made by the end of 2015 (Turner,

Medicare and Medicaid are two of the United States largest broken systems, which must sustain themselves in order to provide care to their beneficiaries. Both Medicare and Medicaid are funding by a joint effort between the federal government and the local state government. If and when these governments choose to cut funding or reduce spending, Medicare and Medicaid take the biggest hit. Most people see these two benefits as one in the same, two benefits the government takes out of their pay check to help fund health care. While the government does deduct a sum from paychecks everywhere, Medicare and Medicaid are very two very different programs.

The growing concern regarding the financial security of Medicare is one of particular interest to the nearly 72 million baby boomers that become eligible for this government-assisted, and tax-payer bolstered, program over the next two decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2010), there will be a rapid increase in baby-boomers between 2010 and 2030, as the entire baby boomer population move into the 65 years and over category (p.3). Political and financial revisions must be made to ensure the security of Medicare as the numbers of individuals paying into this program are soon to be surpassed by the number of individuals drawing-off this program (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The elderly are also at a disadvantage with transportation to health care visits, picking up prescriptions, and rehabilitation services. There needs to be an establishment of access not only to primary care providers, hospitals, and rehabilitation services, but access to other aspects of the health care system for the elderly population.

“Medicare-for-all” is piece of legislation proposed by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders that advocates for a single-payer healthcare system and universal coverage for all in the United States (Keith & Jost, 2017). The bill details a national health insurance plan, funded by a government trust, that would cover all services from hospital stays to primary care visits, thus eliminating high out-of-pocket costs, copayments, and deductibles. Comprehensive coverage under Medicare-for-all would also include treatment for substance abuse, mental health counseling and resources, reproductive and maternity services, and even abortion (Keith & Jost, 2017).