What Does Health Care Reform Mean For Boomers?
For those entering into Medicare eligibility the future of health care costs doesn’t look so pretty. With the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act (PPACA), there are substantial changes coming down the road for Medicare recipients including, but not limited to: – $523 billion in health reforms first 10-year cost will be paid for by cuts in spending on Medicare enrollees, according to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office). So for all the âBaby Boomersâ out there, do you think this might impact how your doctor practices medicine and how you obtain care? – Under the law, Medicare fees paid to doictors are required to drop by 30% in the next three years, which means fees paid to doctors and hospitals will fall below Medicaid levels by 2019 and going forward will fall increasingly behind the rates paid by other patients. As a result, seniors and the disabled will have increasingly leass access to care, as providers tend to better-paying patients. – Additionally, there are new taxes on a whole host of items most often used by Medicare patients including: drugs, wheelchairs, crutches, pacemakers, artificial joints, etc. – Of the 15 million people expected to enroll in Medicare Advantageprograms, 7.5 million will lose their plans entirely, according to Medicare’s chief actuary, and the remainder will face higher premiums and lower benefits. – Nearly 6 million retired employees will lose their employer drug coverage, according to a recent Medicare Trustees report. Will our current Congress and future presidents actaully allow this to happen? It’s already law! Perhaps revisiting and reworking PPACA will make this new legislation less punative to the Bommer class.For more information on Medicare coverage options and the impact of PPACA, call or visit us at www.medicarelocal.com/states/ohio/columbus or 888.848-8631.