According to a number of senators on Thursday, Republicans are considering measures to reduce “waste, fraud, and abuse” in Medicare in order to finance their expansive bill for President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda.
They added that the pursuit has been approved by President Donald Trump.
“I think anything that can be — that’s waste, fraud and abuse are open to, obviously, discussions,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., stated.
According to him, Republicans have mainly looked at Medicaid for cost savings, but they are willing to consider other programs as well.
“The focus, as you know, has been on addressing waste, fraud, abuse within Medicaid and, but right now, we’re open to suggestions that people have them about other areas where there is, you know, clearly, waste, fraud and abuse that can be rooted out in any government program,” Thune stated.
Medicare has long been viewed as a political third rail, a program that politicians from both parties have been reluctant to touch for fear of anger from senior citizens.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., however, stated that they shouldn’t be scared to reduce Medicare waste.
“Why don’t we go after that? I think we should,” Cramer stated.
They would concentrate on waste, fraud, and abuse, he continued, adding, “Some people are afraid of the topics; I’m not.” As Republicans in charge of all three branches, I believe that now is our time to pursue more economic prudence. And some are arguing that point. The hands of other individuals are wringing.
Republicans in the Senate said that they gathered behind closed doors to discuss the matter, and that when they met with Trump on Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee also brought up the subject.
“What the president made clear is [he] does not want to see any cuts to beneficiaries. But to go after, he repeated over again — the waste, fraud and abuse, the waste, fraud and abuse,” Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., stated.
That notion was reiterated by White House spokesperson Kush Desai.
“The president has been clear — no cuts to Medicare, Social Security, or Medicaid. This bill addresses waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending,” Desai stated.
A policy issue that could have explosive political repercussions is opened up by the debates. The popular Medicare program, which offers health insurance to those over 65, is already being attacked by Democrats in response to recent GOP talks of changing the program.
“A program that 66 million Americans rely on is not waste, fraud, or abuse — it’s lifesaving for the constituents of Republicans pushing to gut Medicare,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin stated on Thursday. “Let’s be crystal clear: Donald Trump gave Republicans the green light to gut access to lifesaving medication and rip away health insurance to fund tax handouts for billionaires. These dangerous attacks are as disgraceful as they are unpopular — and will cost Republicans their seats come the midterms.”
The objective Congressional Budget Office estimates that the package enacted by the House would increase the national debt by $2.4 trillion over the next ten years, and GOP leaders are looking for ways to reduce its cost. Republicans call the cuts to Medicaid and health expenditures “waste, fraud, and abuse,” which the CBO projects would reduce the number of people with insurance by 10.9 million.
Nevertheless, a few conservative senators are adamant about reducing the red ink before supporting the package. Furthermore, it’s unclear how Senate Republicans would define “waste, fraud, and abuse” in relation to Medicare—how narrowly or broadly.
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The GOP is skeptical about going down that route.
“What a terrible idea.” Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, stated, “We shouldn’t be touching Medicare,” pointing out that attempts to reduce retirement expenditure have already caused the Republican Party to lose support.
Hawley said he supports the majority of the expenditure cuts in the House-passed measure, including the job requirements and eligibility standards, but he launched similar criticisms when Republicans started targeting Medicaid for savings.
A bipartisan bill that would “improve the way Medicare Advantage plans assess patients’ health risks and reduce overpayments for care” was brought up by senators as a possible option. Known as the “No UPCODE Act,” the bill is co-sponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley, D-Ore, and Bill Cassidy, R-La.
According to a recent CBO estimate, the bill’s provisions might result in a ten-year savings of $124 billion.
