The Simple Truth on Medicare's Future

   Bureaucrat Control  Patient Control
Proposal The President’s partisan health care law creates an unaccountable board of 15 unelected bureaucrats – the so-called “Independent Payment Advisory Board” (IPAB) – empowered to cut Medicare in ways that will result in denied care and restricted access for seniors.  The bureaucrat-imposed cuts threaten critical care for current seniors and fail to strengthen Medicare for future generations.  Bipartisan solutions to preserve the Medicare guarantee, offering guaranteed coverage options to future seniors, regardless of pre-existing conditions or health history, financed by a premium-support payment adjusted to provide additional financial assistance to low-income and less-healthy seniors and less to the wealthy. The Medicare health plans, including a traditional Medicare option, would compete against each other to offer higher quality care at lower costs.
Ration Care? Yes. IPAB’s unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats have the power to determine what “rationing health care” means, allowing them to cut Medicare in ways that harm seniors’ access to providers and lead to the denial of critical care  No. Strips unaccountable Washington bureaucrats of their rationing power; puts patients in control of their health care decisions instead of government, and forces providers to compete for the right to serve seniors. All Medicare health plans are required to meet high standards of care.
Control Costs?  No. Cutting reimbursements only reduces access, while the true costs of care continue to grow. Yes. Harnessing the power of choice and competition helps tackle the root drivers of health inflation that are bankrupting the current system.
Who is in Control? An unaccountable board of 15 unelected bureaucrats.  Patients and their doctors.
Protect Benefits?  No. The President’s latest budget proposes to give IPAB “additional tools” that would give it the power to change benefits in ways that restrict access for seniors. Seniors are prohibited from legal appeals to IPAB’s decisions Yes. Making no changes for current seniors, ensuring that traditional Medicare remains an option, and strengthening the program for future seniors protects the Medicare guarantee.
Current Seniors  Exposed to the harmful consequences of IPAB.  No changes.
Solvent Future? No. Medicare’s trust funds are exhausted, and the program collapses into bankruptcy. Yes. Medicare will be able to deliver on its critical mission to seniors today and future generations.

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