Medicare Reform for the Elderly

Medicare Reform for the Elderly

The Medicare reform has been, throughout the last decade, a political and electoral tool used by both the Democrats and the Republicans, as well as a necessity that needs to be implemented in order to assure health security for a large number of the American citizens, including the elderly population.

At this point, the Medicare reform returned for debate in Congress, despite the fact that the approach of the presidential elections would have likely made this as subject to be discussed at a later time rather than now (Medicare reform returns to Congress). However, the problem with Medicare could no longer wait, as budgetary pressures meant that the addition of an extra drug benefit, obviously beneficial for the elderly, was not countered by a corresponding increase in revenues. The problem with the Medicare reform remained the financial strain.

According to different sources, the Medicare system has "unfunded liability six times that of the Social Security system" (Medicare reform returns to Congress) and spending continues to seem out of control. While at this point, Medicare certainly does not provide enough for the elderly, many of the measures conceived to reduce the economic strain are still targeted towards this segment of the population.

For example, many have suggested that raising the entry age would help reduce the financial tensions. A comparison with the Social Security system during the 1980s, when the recipients' age was raised from 65 to 67, is generally used to support this perspective.

Generally, the options in support of Medicare reform have a negative impact on the elderly, as they are usually in favor either of "reducing overall healthcare spending among the elderly" (Medicare Reform Options) or in favor of "shifting costs to other payers" (Medicare Reform Options). While the latter may seem a reasonable option for the elderly, it would, in fact, include a reorganization of benefits within the Medicare system as well.

Reductions in provider payments are sometimes considered as suitable options for reducing excessive Medicare spending (Medicare Reform Options). Nevertheless, we are deemed to believe that such reductions will also affect the benefits for the elderly, due to decreased spending.

However, Medicare programs for elderly are not only based on free pharmaceuticals or free medical care. Several programs target different affections specific to the elderly population. A Medicare test program, for example, introduced in seven states, was imposed to help senior citizens quit smoking through free therapy (Medicare Targets Elderly Smokers). Nursing homes offer the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), as an optional benefit under the Medicare and Medicaid programs (http://www.medicare.gov/Nursing/Alternatives/Pace.asp).