Medicare

Republicans brazenly admit massive tax cuts are to justify cutting Medicare and Medicaid

medicaid, Medicare, News, Paul Ryan

Republicans in Congress are openly admitting they plan to use their tax reform bill to justify slashing funding for essential social programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and food stamps.

The bill — which is expected to balloon the national deficit by at least $1 trillion, and which only benefits the country’s wealthiest in the long-term — has not yet been reconciled or signed. But Republicans aren’t wasting any time laying out what they see as t...

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The road to single-payer is being paved by two centrist Democrats

health care, Medicare, News

Once upon a time, when single-payer was considered a pipe dream and it was far from certain that Obamacare would become law, the idea of a “public option” represented the greatest realistic hope for progressives seeking to expand access to health care. The House version of health reform included a weak public option, but it was ultimately abandoned because conservative Senate Democrats wouldn’t support it.

Now, nearly a decade later, two centrist Democrats have off...

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The GOP health care bill will make it harder for rural hospitals to keep their doors open

health, health care, medicaid, Medicare, News

As Congress continues to debate the last-ditch Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the deadline to permanently renew funding for rural hospitals faced with high costs and limited resources may go unnoticed.

Hundreds of qualifying rural hospitals rely on payments provided by the Medicare Dependent Hospital (MDH) and the Low Volume Hospital Adjustment (LVHA) programs, both of which expire on September 30. Rep. Tom Reed (R-NY) introduced the Rural Hos...

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