ST. PAUL, Minn. — Citizens’ Council for Health Freedom (CCHF) is asking Congress and the news media to dig deeper into the 2024 Medicare Trustees’ Report. The Trustees recently announced a five-year extension of solvency for Medicare’s hospitalization program.
While solvency until 2036 might initially seem like a cause for celebration, CCHF says focusing on this good news obscures a critical issue threatening the quality and availability of health care for millions of Americans. The Trustees’ own warning is clear: continued cuts to physician payments jeopardize Medicare’s very foundation, driving doctors out of the program and leaving beneficiaries with diminishing access to essential care.
Twila Brase, RN, PHN, President and Co-founder of CCHF, emphasized the situation’s urgency, stating, “Five more years of breathing room will not solve this critical problem. Lives are at stake. The HHS Office of Inspector General has already reported on Medicare Advantage plans denying medically necessary care to seniors. Seniors need the right to opt out of Medicare, creating new markets of real medical insurance policies not dependent on federal budgets and political agendas. With 73 million Americans soon dependent on Medicare, Congress must work to provide lasting private coverage solutions for both young and old.”
According to the Trustees’ Report, Medicare’s current trajectory is unsustainable, and millions of Americans stand to suffer. Prolonged underfunding and policy inaction are placing Medicare beneficiaries at risk, say the Trustees. As the debate over Medicare reform continues, CCHF urges policymakers to confront these challenges head-on and to keep the concerns of patients at the forefront of every reform effort.
Media Contact: For further inquiries or interviews with Twila Brase, RN, PHN, please contact Kristin Matheny at media@cchfreedom.org.