How Harris and Trump's stances on Medicare compare

The early of Medicare, America's sweeping wellness security programme for older adults, continues to travel up connected nan run way from some Vice President Kamala Harris and erstwhile President Donald Trump during this last agelong starring up to nan 2024 statesmanlike election.

This year's voting comes astatine a clip erstwhile nan 67.5 cardinal Americans enrolled successful Medicare plans are starting to spot significant changes, mostly resulting from nan Inflation Reduction Act that Vice President Kamala Harris formed a tie-breaking ballot for successful 2022. 

Harris has touted nan law's much generous medicine spending benefits for seniors, which Biden management officials opportunity person not resulted successful feared premium spikes aliases cutbacks for astir supplier plans.

Some of that "stabilization" is nan consequence of billions poured into premium-lowering efforts, which Republicans person voiced frustration complete arsenic an "election twelvemonth stunt." Premiums for Medicare Part B are besides continuing to grow, up to an estimated $185 monthly in 2025.

The enactment has besides offered immoderate respite for lawmakers grappling pinch nan program's long-running insolvency crisis, arsenic spending is still outpacing nan taxes that money it. Medicare's spot money now has until 2036 earlier it is group to tally out, acknowledgment successful ample portion to savings from nan rule and an economical rebound pursuing nan COVID-19 pandemic.

Harris wants to grow Medicare benefits

Harris has made her proposal to grow Medicare's coverage for location wellness attraction aides a communal portion of her stump reside successful caller weeks. The scheme besides calls for adding sum for proceeding and imagination benefits to Medicare.

Expanding nan caller benefits could beryllium paid for by a abstracted Harris connection to grow nan Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, which was created by nan Inflation Reduction Act.

The value caps programme nether its existent creation will beryllium excessively mini to screen nan expanded benefits Harris wants. But nan run has pointed to estimates suggesting that billions much could beryllium recouped by a much fierce attack to its value caps and different supplier costs reforms, if Congress signs off.

Former President Donald Trump's run responded to nan Harris announcement by pointing to their ain promises successful nan Republican level this year, including "shifting resources backmost to at-home care." 

They besides cited changes Medicare made during nan COVID-19 pandemic nether Trump, for illustration expanding entree to telehealth providers.

Trump wants to artifact Medicare property increases

A predominant applause statement astatine Trump's rallies is his promise to artifact immoderate increases to nan eligibility property for Medicare coverage, which is presently group astatine 65 years old, and to destruct income taxes on Social Security benefits.

"I will conflict for and protect Social Security and Medicare. There will beryllium nary cuts, and we won't beryllium raising nan age, for illustration they're going to extremity up doing," Trump told supporters astatine a Pennsylvania rally connected Oct. 9. 

Those promises could adhd to nan steep challenges facing Congress, arsenic it navigates nan thorny solutions to Medicare insolvency. Though nan deadline for Medicare moving retired of money has been pushed back, officials person warned Congress that delaying action now to statement up nan money will unit moreover much achy changes down nan road.

While Trump has painted his promise arsenic a broadside against his Democratic rival, nan status property rumor was really a constituent of section wrong his ain statement during nan GOP primary. House Democrats person besides railed against immoderate of their GOP colleagues complete a scheme that suggested "modest adjustments to nan status age" down nan road.

Harris accuses Trump of backing cuts to Medicare

Democrats person accused Trump of backing cuts to Medicare for years, contempt his repeated vows not to trim nan program's funding.

The Harris run has revived attacks from Trump's first term, which claimed his projected budgets were cutting "Medicare support for hospitals and different providers nether nan guise of eliminating wasteful spending."

"Now Donald Trump has a different approach. He tried to trim Medicare and Social Security each twelvemonth he was president," Harris said connected Oct. 29, successful remarks adjacent nan White House that nan run billed arsenic her closing argument.

At nan time, Trump White House officials defended nan savings arsenic bully authorities reforms and said Medicare's backing would still turn nether nan budget. The changes mostly echoed recommendations by a nonpartisan advisory commission to amended nan program, and extracurricular fund watchdogs agreed it would not straight effect beneficiaries.

Harris has besides claimed that her Republican force would trim Medicare and overturn provisions nan Inflation Reduction Act added, for illustration nan Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. As evidence, she cites proposals successful nan Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025" platform, written by Trump allies, contempt his ain disavowal of nan document.

Trump accuses Harris of "bankrupting" nan program

On nan trail, Trump astir often brings up Medicare erstwhile accusing Harris of "bankrupting" nan program. He frames nan onslaught nan aforesaid measurement he did against President Biden earlier this year, earlier Mr. Biden dropped out, claiming a surge of migrants was "destroying" Medicare.

"They're allowing millions of these group to spell into Social Security, Medicare. They're going to destruct it," Trump said connected Oct. 29, successful remarks from his Mar-a-Lago edifice successful Florida.

Under existent law, undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare. Only immoderate "lawfully coming immigrants" tin get premium-free Medicare, typically only aft those seniors person paid payroll taxes successful capable years.

A much nuanced type of Trump's attack, published by his campaign, points to Harris' support for an "earned pathway to citizenship" for immigrants. The Trump run claims this could "make millions of low-wage migrants into US citizens" and frighten nan endurance of nan program.

This echoes a akin declare that has travel up successful Washington for years. A grounded migration betterment effort in 2013 that sought to carve retired a "pathway to citizenship" was projected to consequence successful higher Medicare spending to screen nan further people, though it was besides projected to bring successful much taxation gross that could outweigh nan accrued expenses.

The Harris run has promised to lick Medicare's backing shortfall "by making corporations and nan wealthiest Americans salary their adjacent stock successful taxes."

In:
• Medicare
• Kamala Harris
• Donald Trump
• 2024 Elections