Five questions to ask candidates about Medicare

http://www.medicarerights.org/pdf/five-questions-for-candidates.pdf?utm_source=Medicare-Watch-email&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_term=mcw&utm_content=mcw&utm_campaign=MCW+9.06.12

Some proposals currently under consideration would save the government money by increasing out-of-pocket health care expenses for older adults and people with disabilities. For example, the aforementioned Ryan plan would convert Medicare into a premium support, or voucher, system, under which beneficiaries would receive a defined contribution from the government to buy health coverage. This voucher would likely not keep pace with rising health care costs. As a result, over time, the voucher would be insufficient to purchase coverage that provides the same health security Medicare offers today.

“Five Medicare Questions for Candidates” also focuses on how candidates plan to improve the program, for example by reducing the cost of coverage for beneficiaries. People with Medicare already spend 15 percent of their household incomes on health care, five times as much as non-Medicare households. Moreover, half of all people with Medicare have annual incomes of less than $22,000. They cannot afford to pay more for their health care. Estimates suggest that under the Ryan plan people with Medicare would spend thousands more per year in health care costs.

“We encourage everyone to ask tough questions of those who hold the future of Medicare—and therefore of our health and retirement security—in their hands,” says Joe Baker, president of Medicare Rights. “It is important to know how prospective lawmakers intend to change programs that millions of people depend on.”