Strengthening Medicare for Current and Future Generations

Skyrocketing health care costs fueled by waste, fraud, abuse and inefficiencies are threatening Medicare’s financial solvency.  The Medicare Trustees last year projected the Part A Trust Fund would go broke by 2019, and this year’s report may paint an even bleaker picture.

Congress must act now to address affordability and solvency, or Medicare will not be able to effectively serve current or future beneficiaries.  Common sense ways to help put Medicare back on stable financial ground include:

• Revising the way Medicare pays doctors and hospitals to reward high quality care rather than how much care is provided, including through "medical home programs"
• Promoting care coordination programs for people with multiple chronic conditions and improving care at the end of life
• Reducing overpayments to private insurance companies; and,
• Lowering drug prices by allowing secretarial negotiation and re-importation.