The Urgency of Medicare Reform - NPR/KUAR
All the talk in Washington, D.C., starting with the President’s State of the Union message, has been by politicians on both sides of the aisle claiming that Medicare reform is “off the table” in the current negotiations over the national debt ceiling. But despite all the bold claims there is a stark reality – the Medicare “HI” trust fund is projected to run dry in about 6 years and, if that happens, a cut in benefits will occur – and all the recent hyperbole cannot change that. Simply stated, Medicare reform is needed and there are only three ways to fix the problem: 1) make beneficiaries pay a higher monthly premium; 2) make workers contribute more from their paychecks; or, 3) pay healthcare providers less for their services. All of which means that at some point soon, and regardless of their current pledges, Congress and the Biden Administration will need to come together to restore Medicare to fiscal solvency. In this NPR article appearing at KUAR radio’s website, Michel Martin interviews a veteran healthcare journalist to discuss the reality that Medicare reform, and, indeed, reform of the entire government healthcare structure, should be “on the table” in future negotiations. Click here to read more.