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Indiana's Third District
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Issues
Medicare & Medicaid
Medicare & Medicaid
Related Issue(s):
Health Care,
Prescription Drug Benefit (Medicare Part D)
Congressman Souder's Position
Medicare and Medicaid are important federal programs to provide health benefits to seniors and low-income Americans. While Medicare is a purely federal program, Medicaid is administered at the state level with both federal and state funds. Over the years, Medicare and Medicaid funding have become strained due to the growing costs of health care and the increasing senior population. One of the most difficult challenges currently facing both federal and state governments is how to pay for these entitlement programs. Absent reform, it is expected that the combined Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security program costs will rise from 20 percent of GDP to 38 percent of GDP in 2050. Additionally, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust fund, which is paid for with payroll taxes on current employees, is projected to be exhausted by 2018.
While it won’t be easy, it is imperative that Congress find ways to ensure seniors and low-income individuals continue to have access to quality health care without breaking the budget or significantly burdening future generations. Additionally, Congress must ensure that the doctors, hospitals and health care professionals who care for Medicare and Medicaid patients are adequately reimbursed so that they can continue to provide care for these individuals. The only way we can begin to work toward these goals is by encouraging today’s workers to save more for their future through mechanisms such as Health Savings Accounts and introducing additional market-based and patient-centered reforms to help control the rising costs of health care.
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