Fixing Medicare Part A - WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

[GailL1]

 We paid for Medicare PART A or Medicare Hospital Insurance during our working years via a payroll tax currently at the rate of 1.45% for the employee and matched by the employer.  This is on all earned income.  But this Trust Fund is running out of money.  So what are we to do for this portion of Medicare to preserve it - probably the only solution is to up the payroll tax rate for those working - but also perhaps it is to review these benefits and cut back on them when we can.  Medicare Advantage plans already do this so perhaps it is time for traditional Medicare specifically  Medicare Part A to become more managed-care-like or at least make sure that the medical need is there under Part A Medicare.

What else could we do?  Cut doctor pay even more?  Cut payments to hospitals and Skilled Nursing Facilities?  

Each part of Medicare is different - in what it covers and how it is funded - so it is best to take each part and discuss any cost savings measures for that particular part of Medicare.

[CBtoo]

We could pay hospitals and their employees the same as private physicians are paid for starters (that includes with B as well, yes I know A is only hospitalization, but now hospitals have hospitalists rather than the private doctor continuing to see their patients, etc.). Hospitals get paid more for the same things. I think this has helped drive the movement of more and more doctors being hospital employees as hospitals make more money having this stuff in house.