Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Obama Marks Medicare, Medicaid Anniversary With Vigorous Defense Of Programs
CBS News: Obama: Medicare Crisis Is Only "Political Excuse"
As Medicare and Medicaid celebrate their 50th anniversary this week, President Obama is knocking critics who say the programs need drastic cuts to survive, accusing them of making a "political excuse." "Today, we're often told that Medicare and Medicaid are in crisis," Mr. Obama said Saturday in a video. "But that's usually a political excuse to cut their funding, privatize them, or phase them out entirely -- all of which would undermine their core guarantee." (Flores, 8/1)
The Wall Street Journal: An Unexpected Spike For Medicare Premiums?
Unless the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services intervenes, some Medicare beneficiaries will face a steep increase in their 2016 premiums, even as the vast majority of Medicare recipients pay no increase at all. Medicare’s trustees projected in a recent report that for about 30% of the program’s beneficiaries, 2016 premiums would rise by 52% for Part B, which covers doctor visits and other types of outpatient care. The projected increases result from a little-noticed intersection between the rules governing Medicare and Social Security. (Tergesen, 7/31)
Earlier KHN coverage: Good News, Bad News In Medicare Trustees Report (Galewitz, 7/23)
