,,,Data Note: Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Medicare Spending and Beneficiaries

Data Note: Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Implications for Medicare Spending and Beneficiaries


 

Publication Date: September 2012

Publisher: Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation

Author(s): Juliette Cubanski; Tricia Neuman; Cristina Boccuti; Gretchen Jacobson

Research Area: Health

Keywords: Obama Care; Afordable Care Act; Medicare Part D

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This brief explores the implications for Medicare and beneficiaries of repealing Medicare provisions in the ACA. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that full repeal of the ACA would increase Medicare spending by $802 billion from 2016 to 2025.1 Full repeal would increase spending primarily by restoring higher payments to health care providers and Medicare Advantage plans. The increase in Medicare spending would likely lead to higher Medicare premiums, deductibles, and cost sharing for beneficiaries, and accelerate the insolvency of the Medicare Part A trust fund. Policymakers will confront decisions about the Medicare provisions in the ACA in their efforts to repeal and replace the law.