The Medicare program provides subsidized medical insurance for the elderly and for some disabled people. Spending for Medicare totaled about $555 billion in 2012, providing coverage for about 50 million people. CBO projects that Medicare spending will continue to rise rapidly over the next decade, as baby boomers retire and spending per beneficiary continues to rise.
Medicare
featured work
Offsetting Effects of Prescription Drug Use on Medicare’s Spending for Medical ServicesNov 2012 - CBO estimates that greater use of prescription drugs by Medicare beneficiaries reduces Medicare’s spending on medical services.
Letter to the Honorable John Boehner providing an estimate for H.R. 6079, the Repeal of Obamacare ActJul 2012 - CBO and the JCT have estimated the direct spending and revenue effects of H.R. 6079, as passed by the House of Representatives on July 11, 2012.
Long-Term Budget OutlookJun 2012 - The explosive path of federal debt under the fiscal scenario that many budget analysts believe is more representative of fiscal policies that are now or have recently been in effect underscores the need for large policy changes to put the federal government on a sustainable course.
The Long-Term Budgetary Impact of Paths for Federal Revenues and Spending Specified by Chairman RyanMar 2012 - The calculations presented here represent CBO's assessment of how the specified paths would alter the trajectories of federal debt, revenues, spending, and economic output relative to the trajectories under two scenarios that CBO has analyzed previously.
Raising the Ages of Eligibility for Medicare and Social SecurityJan 2012 - This issue brief reviews how ages of eligibility affect beneficiaries under current law and how delaying eligibility would affect beneficiaries, the federal budget, and the economy.
Lessons from Medicare's Demonstration Projects on Disease Management, Care Coordination, and Value-Based PaymentJan 2012 - CBO reviews the outcomes of 10 major demonstrations that have been evaluated by independent researchers.
Medicare Part DDec 2011 - In 2008, low-income enrollees who received an additional subsidy to participate in Medicare's prescription drug program spent on average twice as much as those not receiving the additional subsidy.
latest work
Growth in Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits for Low-Income Households
reportFebruary 11, 2013Medicare—February 2013 Baseline
data or technical informationFebruary 5, 2013CBO’s Long-Term Projections for Medicare and Medicaid Spending in the United States
presentationNovember 30, 2012Offsetting Effects of Prescription Drug Use on Medicare’s Spending for Medical Services
reportNovember 29, 2012H.R. 1063, Strengthening Medicare and Repaying Taxpayers Act of 2011
cost estimateNovember 9, 2012S. 3391, Taking Essential Steps to Testing Act
cost estimateSeptember 19, 2012Medicare's Payments to Physicians: The Budgetary Impact of Alternative Policies Relative to CBO's March 2012 Baseline
data or technical informationJuly 31, 2012CBO Releases Two Analyses Related to the Affordable Care Act
blog postJuly 24, 2012
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