Our Health Policy Matters

The 2013 Medicare Trustees report is out, and it proves once again that the so-called Medicare funding crisis is a myth that has been manufactured by political leaders more interested in cutting the size of government than in assuring access to health care for all. Those may seem like strong words, but we have been waiting for a long time for government leaders to tell us the truth about Medicare.  That it hasn’t contributed to our budget deficit.  That its trust fund is solvent.  And, most important, that it would take only the tiniest of tax increases to preserve Medicare as we know it for everyone who is alive today. The 2013 report was released last week.  Nearly one in every six (or 50.7 million) Americans is covered by Medicare.  42 million of them are age 65 and over, but 8.5 million are younger and living with serious disabilities. The combined Medicare expenditures – for parts A, B, and D – were $574 billion in 2012.  Taxes, co...

The 2013 Medicare Trustees report is out, and it proves once again that the so-called Medicare funding crisis is a myth that has been manufactured by political leaders more interested in cutting the size of government than in assuring access to health care for all. Those may seem like strong words, but we have been waiting for a long time for government leaders to tell us the truth about Medicare.  That it hasn’t contributed to our budget deficit.  That its trust fund is solvent.  And, most important, that it would take only the tiniest of tax increases to preserve Medicare as we know it for everyone who is alive today. The 2013 report was released last week.  Nearly one in every six (or 50.7 million) Americans is covered by Medicare.  42 million of them are age 65 and over, but 8.5 million are younger and living with serious disabilities. The combined Medicare expenditures – for parts A, B, and D – were $574 billion in 2012.  Taxes, co...