As leaders of the Republican and Democratic Parties in the House of Representatives were congratulating themselves on passing an actual piece of legislation on Thursday, critics of the bill aimed at restructuring Medicare payments to providers are warning—despite the feel-good mood provided by the bipartisan achievement—it will be the elderly and low-income beneficiaries of the program who will ultimately pay the heaviest price if the proposed changes become law.
The Hill reports:
“This is what we can accomplish when we focus on finding common ground,” Boehner said after the bill passed. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she hoped the compromised bill “will be a model for things to come.”
Defenders of the Medicare program, however, were quick to issue warnings that it will be those individuals who benefit most from the nation’s public health program who end up on the losing side if and when the bill passes the Senate and reaches the desk of President Obama, who has already indicated his desire to sign it.
“Unfortunately, the SGR replacement package from the House is not sufficiently balanced; it asks too much from beneficiaries – and nothing from the pharmaceutical or insurance industries – without providing enough for beneficiaries in return,” said Judith Stein, Executive Director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy.
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