Opinion

What editorial writers are saying about the Medicare trustees report

The program's hospital trust fund is expected to go broke in 2017. The rise in outpatient spending continues to outpace the expansion of the economy.

Posted June 8, 2009.

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

The worsening financial condition of Medicare has raised alarms. A sampling of newspapers across the country includes speculation about how the federal government will tackle rising costs.

Social Security, Medicare and reform

To some small extent, Medicare's costs are driven by demographics. But the biggest factor by far is the cost of care that each patient receives, not the number of patients. And that's not just a problem for public programs; Medicare's costs per patient actually have grown more slowly than those of private insurance since 1997. A growing body of research shows that much of the care Americans receive provides little or no real benefit. That's why it makes sense to do more comparative effectiveness research -- to study what treatments work best, and arm doctors with that knowledge. It also makes sense to change the way doctors and hospitals are paid. They should be rewarded for providing better care, not more care. St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 13

Redefined benefits

Slow the growth in health care costs, and Medicare will improve its financial position. What Congress shouldn't overlook is that there are changes to Medicare alone that would reap savings, roughly $266 billion a year during the next decade. The president, following the lead of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, has proposed ending overpayments to private insurers participating in Medicare. As it is, Medicare pays private insurers 14% more on average to cover beneficiaries than it would cost under the traditional program. Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, May 14

Entitled to help: Medicare and Social Security need a rescue

Americans have had various reactions to reports of the decline of Social Security and Medicare. One is resignation and the feeling that "I knew they were going to do that," reflecting cynicism about government promises. Another reaction, often made through clenched teeth, is "Congress wouldn't dare let Medicare or Social Security run out of money." The idea is that Congress knows that voters being cheated out of either program could spell rage at the ballot box. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 14

Social Security and Medicare: Not a good outlook

The administration deserves credit for continuing to beat the drum on the need for reform, but drum-beating won't save Social Security or Medicare. In health care, the White House wants to pair cost control with an expensive expansion of coverage, but there is a big risk that Congress will embrace the latter while jettisoning the former. It is reasonable to include coverage expansion as a sweetener to the more bitter pill of cost containment, but cost control has to be at the center of any plan. Washington Post, May 14

Entitlements crisis: No problem, just raise taxes

Medicare's situation is even more serious. Part B, which covers doctors and outpatient care, and Part D, the prescription drug program, are already totally dependent on general tax revenues, to the tune of $179 billion last year. Curiously, the trustees are unconcerned by these facts because "current law automatically provides financing each year to meet next year's expected costs." In other words, Washington can always raise taxes to cover increased benefits. San Francisco Examiner, May 16

Closer to broke

Medicare requires more complex changes in its cost structure, as well as a broader answer to rising health-care costs. It's still largely a throwback to old-fashioned fee-for-service health plans that encourage unneeded services and contribute to medical-care cost inflation. Chicago Tribune, May 16

There are solutions

Lawmakers have known for years that the entitlement programs are in trouble. The latest report on their precarious condition is just a more urgent warning that Washington can't keep kicking the problem down the road. Task forces have studied the problem, but the recommendations just gather dust on shelves. A solution keeps getting postponed because the options are politically unpopular. Congress can either raise taxes, or cut benefits, or enact a combination of both. Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn