What Do the Proposed Medicaid Cuts Mean for the US Healthcare System? Medicaid. You’ve likely heard of it, but do you really know how it works? It’s not just a program for low-income families. Medicaid provides a critical safety net for seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and children. It also fills gaps that Medicare cannot cover, like long-term care services in nursing homes. With more than 70 million Americans relying on Medicaid, any changes to the program ripple out, often in unexpected ways. Now, House Republicans…
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Paul Ryan feels tax credits are the road to universal health coverage
Paul Ryan (R., WI), the House Budget Committee Chairman, gave a significant speech at the Hoover Institution about health reform. At this Stanford University think tank, Ryan spoke about his own Medicare and Medicaid reform plan called “Path to Prosperity”. That said, he also took a moment to speak about the third health-care entitlement in the United States, which is a tax subsidy of $300 billion per year, which helps to cover employer-sponsored health insurance. This reform offers the chance for universal coverage to run in a market-oriented way. Ryan…
Read MoreMedicare costs return to spotlight following deficit debate
Controversial proposals regarding Medicare expenses have moved back into the forefront of discussions as a result of the federal deficit debates, leading many to voice concerns regarding the increase of hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars to the medical bills of seniors. It has not yet been determined whether any of these new proposals will be enacted in 2011, considering the current impasse faced by the government regarding its spending. The Republicans are currently demanding these proposals so that trillions can be hacked from the federal budget. However,…
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