The left is lashing out at a proposal to reform Medicare that President Obama said he would consider as a way to reduce the deficit.
Left-leaning groups and liberal lawmakers say that combining Medicare’s doctor and hospital coverage would saddle beneficiaries with higher costs. The idea has attracted support from leading Republicans, and given Obama’s receptiveness, the policy could receive significant attention in the next round of deficit-reduction talks.
This is exactly what senior advocates fear, and they are launching pre-emptive strikes on Capitol Hill to ensure lawmakers understand the downside.
“There’s a feeling that beneficiaries should be paying more for Medicare, but they already pay a lot out of pocket,” said Diane Lifsey, legislative representative with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare.
“That’s why we oppose this idea. The proposals are meant to save money, but they just end up costing beneficiaries,” she said.
Combining Medicare’s coverage for hospital and doctor care would unify Parts A and B under a single deductible.
Most proposals would enact a cap on catastrophic costs, and some include protections for low-income patients.
Critics say a unified deductible would raise expenses by hundreds of dollars for the vast majority of beneficiaries who do not use hospital care.