House Ways and Means Talks About Fixing Medicare

Even though Congress is in the heat of the sequester battle, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health snuck away to have a hard talk with experts about fixing Medicare.

According to the Kaiser Health News’s Mary Agnes Carey, the split on the issue between Democrats and Republicans was along predictable lines. “The Democratic members, for example, are fond of the Affordable Care Act, the 2010 health care law,” Carey reported. “The ranking Democrat, Jim McDermott, talked about how the ACA has reduced Medicare spending, it offers seniors preventive services for free, it puts the groundwork there to reward the quality of the service provided versus the quantity. The Republican side of the aisle, of course, along with [Subcommittee Chairman] Kevin Brady, they’re big fans of Medicare Advantage. ”

According to Carey there was interest from both parties to attempt innovative approaches to Medicare, including expanding copays to new programs.

For more on this story, visit Kaiser Health News.