Working With Medicare

NYT editorial

There are many ways to rein in Medicare spending without scrapping the system and starting over.

Republicans are arguing that helping older and disabled Americans buy private insurance would be cheaper for the federal government and better for beneficiaries. Last week, a Democratic senator, Ron Wyden of Oregon, joined Representative Paul Ryan, chairman of the Budget Committee, in proposing the latest version of “premium support.” Their ideas deserve careful scrutiny, but we are skeptical that any of the proposals for premium support that have been floated by Republicans can rein in Medicare spending without harming beneficiaries, financially or medically.

Traditional Medicare has improved the health and financial security for countless older Americans over the past four decades, and it has done better at slowing cost increases than has private insurance. Before heading off in a new and risky direction, policy makers should carefully consider a host of ideas that could shave hundreds of billions of dollars from projected Medicare spending over the next decade without shifting huge burdens onto beneficiaries.

Here are some of the proposals raised by politicians and experts from across the political spectrum:

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