Domenici-Rivlin Protect Medicare Act

The principal driver of future federal deficits is the rapidly mounting cost of Medicare. The huge growth in the number of eligible seniors over the coming years is due to both increasing longevity and the retirement of the baby boomers. Then, that beneficiary growth is multiplied by continuing increases in the cost of health care. Without a significant change in this trend, the cost of Medicare will continue to rise faster than the economy can possibly grow. Even if revenues are raised and other spending is restrained (both of which the BPC supports), the exploding cost of Medicare is unsustainable.

Simply put, there can be no lasting solution to the U.S. debt crisis without structural changes in the Medicare program to slow its cost growth. This can be done through our proposal to transition Medicare to a “defined support” plan. Such a system will provide major incentives to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of health care delivery to seniors – without abolishing current Medicare, or forcing any beneficiary to move to a different system – and cap total Medicare spending while protecting low-income seniors.