Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Medicare’s trust fund has been extended. Big deal.

Tanya Feke, MD
Policy
August 28, 2014
Share
Tweet
Share

The Medicare trust fund has been extended to 2030, 4 years longer than projections made just one year ago. This sounds like wonderful news until you take a closer look. The fine print reveals that this is little more than campaign rhetoric. Four years in the grand scheme means little when you look at the real numbers.

More baby boomers approach eligibility age every day. In 2012, there were 50.8 million people on Medicare. That number is expected to increase to 57 million by 2020. Will Medicare be there when our seniors need it most?

Regulatory changes this past year have put hospital stays in the crosshairs. Medicare Part A pays for hospital services but only if someone is labeled as an inpatient. To cut costs, Medicare has made it harder to get inpatient status, even if a patient stays in the hospital overnight.

The two-midnight rule went into effect in October 2013 and has seniors baffled by what it means. To be honest, it has many health care professionals equally confused. It states that a doctor must expect a patient to be in the hospital for a stay spanning at least two midnights to be considered for inpatient coverage. To give perspective, many emergency surgeries do not require stays of more than two midnights. That is a lot of money Medicare Part A is not paying towards medically necessary costs.

The Obama administration notes that spending under Medicare Part B (outpatient services) and Part D (prescription coverage) has not changed in recent years. Overall spending, however, has decreased under Part A for two years in a row. Part of this may be attributable to pressure put on doctors and hospitals to improve patient care and avoid hospital readmissions. This is beneficial to patients on all fronts unlike the outright cost shifting that comes with the two-midnight Rule. That degree of cost shifting can only harm seniors who end up paying more for the same level of care.

The problem is that politicians in Washington are patting themselves on the back for adding four years to the Medicare trust fund, as if this alone will solve a crisis. Medicare is stronger, they claim. Medicare provides more services. When it comes at the expense of cost shifting thousands of dollars to our seniors for each hospital stay, four years is not all that impressive; it is only a presidential term.

I would be more impressed if my Medicare patients were able to pay for food, shelter, and medication while getting the medical coverage they had before the two-midnight Rule. It is not surprising the American Hospital Association is suing the government over the legislation.

There is no question health care will be the pulse of the 2016 presidential election with Medicare flashing in neon lights. Until then, our seniors still need to access care and services. Can they afford it? Our seniors need more resources to guide them through the Medicare maze.

Tanya Feke is founder, Diagnosis Life.

Prev

High-yield and protected time: A medical student's take

August 28, 2014 Kevin 10
…
Next

How much health care data is mined without your knowledge?

August 28, 2014 Kevin 11
…

Tagged as: Medicare

Post navigation

< Previous Post
High-yield and protected time: A medical student's take
Next Post >
How much health care data is mined without your knowledge?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Tanya Feke, MD

  • What does the opioid crisis have to do with patient satisfaction?

    Tanya Feke, MD
  • I am a doctor, but I didn’t cause the opioid epidemic

    Tanya Feke, MD
  • This is why patients cannot be customers

    Tanya Feke, MD

More in Policy

  • How locum tenens work helps physicians and APPs reclaim control

    Brian Sutter
  • Why Medicaid cuts should alarm every doctor

    Ilan Shapiro, MD
  • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    BJ Ferguson
  • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

    Carlin Lockwood
  • What Adam Smith would say about America’s for-profit health care

    M. Bennet Broner, PhD
  • The lab behind the lens: Equity begins with diagnosis

    Michael Misialek, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 4 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • 2 hours to decide my future: How the SOAP residency match traps future doctors

      Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH | Education
    • Why removing fluoride from water is a public health disaster

      Steven J. Katz, DDS | Conditions
    • When did we start treating our lives like trauma?

      Maureen Gibbons, MD | Physician
    • In a fractured world, Brian Wilson’s message still heals

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • How doctors took back control from hospital executives

      Gene Uzawa Dorio, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • The silent toll of ICE raids on U.S. patient care

      Carlin Lockwood | Policy
    • Why shared decision-making in medicine often fails

      M. Bennet Broner, PhD | Conditions
    • My journey from misdiagnosis to living fully with APBD

      Jeff Cooper | Conditions
    • Why we fear being forgotten more than death itself

      Patrick Hudson, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Adriana Smith’s story: a medical tragedy under heartbeat laws

      Nicole M. King, MD | Physician
    • What if medicine had an exit interview?

      Lynn McComas, DNP, ANP-C | Conditions
    • Why U.S. health care pricing is so confusing—and how to fix it

      Ashish Mandavia, MD | Physician
    • From survival to sovereignty: What 35 years in the ER taught me about identity, mortality, and redemption

      Kenneth Ro, MD | Physician
    • When doctors forget how to examine: the danger of lost clinical skills

      Mike Stillman, MD | Physician
    • When your dream job becomes a nightmare [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Medicare’s trust fund has been extended. Big deal.
4 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...