Payments to hospitals would drop $30 billion for bad debt and other compensation, according to the report. In addition, the chained consumer price index, a metric to estimate inflation in the budget, would be reduced, meaning Medicare payment rates would grow more slowly. The Medicare age would remain at 65, not rising to 67 as earlier Republican proposals attempted.
Pharmaceutical companies would have to pay rebates to low-income seniors, translating to $140 billion in Medicare savings, the largest single change to the program in the president’s budget.
More Articles on Healthcare Spending:
Inside Maryland’s Plan to Save its Plum Medicare Deal
How Do American Healthcare Costs Stack Up Globally?
Healthcare Reform Law Creates 111M Hours of Paperwork: Study
