How will the government shift the billions of dollars targeted to fund The Affordable Care Act from Medicare?
One way is to reduce payments to Medicare Advantage Plans that are responsible for their enrollee's care. This could result in higher premiums, higher copays and drug cost to the consumer. Another way is to reduce the amount of money that Medicare pays physicians and hospitals for their services.
The problem is the above mentioned "shift of funds" is not a popular option amongst Medicare beneficiaries or Baby Boomers about to become Medicare eligible. There are high stakes involved in any change for 2014 that is going to raise out of pocket expenses to consumers or reduce benefits. The November elections are on the horizon and savvy voters will be watching this hot topic closely.
