Spending per Medicare beneficiary has nearly leveled off over more than a decade.
If Medicare spending had grown the way it had for much of its history, federal spending would have been $3.9 trillion higher since 2011, and deficits would have been more than a quarter larger, according to an Upshot analysis. The difference is more than could be saved by raising the eligibility age for Social Security or converting Medicaid into a block grant, controversial proposals raised by legislators concerned about the federal debt.
Category: Medicare
Monday Links
- The food stamp program doubled in size during th pandemic, yet its 42 million recipients have less healthy diets and are more obese than other Americans.
- The typical Medicare beneficiary has access to around 40 Medicare Advantage plans. (WSJ)
- Medicaid in NY: volatile budget swings.
- GOP answer to drug shortages: exempt generics from the 340b discounts until the shortage is over. (gated)
- The case for drinking. HT: David Henderson
Sunday Links
- Approximately 99% of new medical devices utilize the 510(k) pathway for speedy FDA approval, but bureaucratic obstacles my slow AI and other innovations.
- The left in Israel demonizes and destroys a right-of-center think tank. Lessons for the US.
- How states scam the feds for Medicaid dollars: in 2023, New Hampshire received $2,123 in DSH grants per poor resident; Wyoming, only $4.
- 40 studies from around the world: learning loss form the pandemic equals about a half a year of schooling. That is equivalent to about 5.5% less life time income.
- The Chinese started lying about Covid almost as soon as Wuhan hospitals started seeing Covid patients.
CMS to Boost Nursing Home Staffing Requirements to Impossible Levels
Kaiser Health News reported that the Biden Administration is proposing new staffing standards for nursing homes. The new standards were prompted by assumptions that inadequate staffing led to the death of nearly 200,000 nursing home residents from Covid. I’m not convinced these data points are related but that never stopped government officials from using a natural disaster to boost regulations.