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Los Angeles Times
10-07-2025
- Health
- Los Angeles Times
The ‘Big Beautiful Bill' got one thing right
In a Congress addicted to bad ideas and bloated spending — something we saw again last week — it's rare to find a tax policy with broad, bipartisan support that also happens to be good policy. Health savings accounts, known as HSAs, are one of those rare gems. They promote individual responsibility, reduce healthcare costs and enjoy overwhelming support from voters across the political spectrum. The good news is that for all its flaws, the 'Big Beautiful Bill' that was just signed by the president includes several expansions to the program. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need tax-protected healthcare savings accounts. The tax code wouldn't punish saving in the first place. Income would only be taxed once and not a second time through taxes on returns generated by savings. Families could set aside money for future expenses without being hit with additional penalties. But that's not the tax system we have. The double taxation of saving discourages people from preparing for medical and other costs. Ideally, individuals would also be able to make their own decisions about health. But for the past century, Congress has used the tax code to pressure workers into accepting employer-controlled health insurance by penalizing those of us who choose otherwise. As Michael F. Cannon of the Cato Institute has demonstrated, this system effectively strips workers of control over roughly $1 trillion of their income. Imagine the possibilities if we could each demand more value and accountability for our share. HSAs offer a partial solution to both of these problems. They can shelter a small portion of income and allow people to make their own decisions about some healthcare purchases without the government penalizing them. Since their creation in 2003, HSAs have become a lifeline for nearly 40 million account holders. The accounts are triple tax-advantaged: Contributions go in tax-free, grow tax-free and can be withdrawn tax-free for qualified medical expenses. They reward frugality, encourage price sensitivity (in a way most health insurance plans do not) and allow families to build health-related savings year after year. Still, HSAs have benefited only a small segment of workers. To truly bring about individual healthcare freedom, it is essential that Congress expand them to everyone and end the preferential tax treatment for employer-based coverage. And to give credit where it's due, Congress did indeed deliver on at least part of this agenda. The House version of the budget included long-overdue HSA reforms, most notably a fix to a particularly maddening and regressive feature of current law: If you're a working senior who needs to claim Social Security at 65 to make ends meet, you're automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A — and disqualified from contributing to an HSA. A wealthier colleague who delays retirement can continue to enjoy tax-free contributions. Same job. Same employer. Different treatments based purely on wealth. In addition to abolishing this injustice by allowing working seniors enrolled in Part A to remain eligible for HSA contributions, the House bill expanded the menu of healthcare options that can be paid for with HSA funds. It made gym memberships, personal training, preventive care and wellness among the new options — a smart, targeted reform. Unfortunately, the Senate stripped many of the House's reforms, but enough were retained in the final version of the bill for it to expand access to HSAs and make a significant difference. Starting Jan. 1, 2026, Americans enrolled in Bronze or Catastrophic Affordable Care Act plans may contribute to HSAs — around 7.3 million people who previously lacked access in 2025. The bill also allows HSA funds to pay for direct primary care memberships — modernizing how Americans can save for and manage healthcare expenses — and makes permanent the ability of high-deductible health plans to waive the deductible for telehealth visits. By some measures, these might be the most popular tax provisions in the entire package. As Cannon has pointed out, large majorities of Democrats (73%), Republicans (74%) and independents (65%) have shown past support for HSAs. A Luntz poll found 83% support for working seniors on Medicare to be allowed to contribute to HSAs. In other words, this wasn't just smart policy, it was a political layup. There is still a lot of work to be done, such as delinking HSA eligibility from high-deductible plans entirely, expanding contribution limits and eliminating barriers for all Medicare recipients. These moves would further reduce tax-code distortions and reinforce a healthcare system rooted in choice and accountability. Nevertheless, HSA reform is one instance of the 'Big Beautiful Bill' producing good and popular policy. Veronique de Rugy is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate.
Medical News Today
03-07-2025
- Health
- Medical News Today
Understanding Medicare's nursing home star ratings
Medicare's nursing home ratings are one tool people can use to evaluate potential long-term care facilities. While they offer insight into staff levels and performance on health and quality inspections, they do not capture all aspects of a nursing home's homes are residential care facilities for individuals requiring 24-hour access to medical and personal care services. A person may require a stay in a nursing home due to their age, a health condition, a disability, or another reason that has made living alone difficult or does not cover long-term stays in a nursing home. However, it may cover short-term stays when necessary for rehabilitation. Medicare Part A does offer coverage for the first 100 days in a skilled nursing aid beneficiaries in their decision making, Medicare assigns star ratings to nursing home facilities. These ratings — and the data on which they are based — add transparency to the decision making process and help hold facilities accountable for providing substandard what the ratings mean, how Medicare determines them, and what limitations they nursing home ratingsMedicare's nursing home star ratings are a sum of a facility's performance in three areas:health inspectionsstaffingquality measuresEvery facility is given a rating of 1 to 5 in each of these areas as well as an overall rating. A rating of 5 stars is considered 'much above average,' whereas a rating of 1 star is considered 'much below average.'The ratings are based on different types of information:Health inspections: This score reflects how a nursing home performs in inspections of health and safety conditions, complaints, and infection control. The most recent health inspection reports are available for review, along with any complaint This rating reflects how staffing levels (and experience) compare with the size of the resident population. It also looks at staff measures: This rating reflects the care that residents receive in both short-stay and long-stay settings. »Read more:Does Medicare pay for nursing home care?Where to find the ratingsThe best place to review Medicare's nursing home ratings is through the Care Compare search tool on can find lists of local nursing homes by entering their ZIP code. Each facility on the list is accompanied by an overall star tool allows users to compare up to three facilities side-by-side and view a wide array of information, such as:star ratingsownership informationnumber of bedshealth inspection reportsnumber of health citationscomplaint inspection reportsstaffing summariesPlus, facilities are flagged in the results lists if they have been cited for abuse (denoted by a red hand sign) or have a history of serious quality issues (denoted with a yellow warning sign).Limitations of the star ratingsWhile Medicare's nursing home ratings offer a wealth of useful information and context about different facilities, a person should not base their care decisions on star ratings important steps in the research process include making on-site visits and speaking with staff and residents at potential nursing star ratings may not align with the experiences of residents, as they do not consider factors such as:special programmingfacility and room amenitiesfacility culturestaff attitudesTakeawayMedicare nursing home ratings give prospective residents insight into a facility's quality and help them narrow their bases its ratings on health inspections, staffing details, and the medical outcomes of residents.A person should use the ratings alongside in-person visits and conversations with individuals who have experience with each facility when evaluating factors that are not captured by star ratings, such as location and convenience, may play a role in someone's decision making.
Economic Times
19-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Social security shock for Americans: Retirement trust fund could run dry by 2035, report warns
Social Security at Risk Combined Funds Face Depletion by 2034 Disability Insurance Fund Stable for Now, Medicare at Risk Live Events Calls for Action from Leadership FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Social Security Board of Trustees issued a new warning that the trust fund that helps pay retirement benefits could run out of money by 2033, potentially slashing monthly payments for future retirees, as per a report. The Social Security Board of Trustees' annual report showed that only 77% of scheduled benefits will be payable at that time, as per Security's combined trust funds, which include the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance trust funds, are expected to have only revenue to pay scheduled benefits and administrative costs until 2034, as per CNBC. The projection indicated that 81% of the combined benefits will be payable at that time, according to the READ: Barron Trump's $40 million crypto windfall? Inside the shocking profits from his father's digital coin empire According to CNBC, even though the combined depletion date is used to gauge Social Security's solvency, the current law restricts joining those funds, but previously Congress has authorised shifting of the funds, when there have been trust fund Disability Insurance Trust Fund will be able to pay full benefits until 2099, and Medicare's Hospital Insurance trust fund, which is associated with Medicare Part A and pays for certain health care services, will be able to pay full benefits only until 2033, reported CNBC. Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said that the financial status of the trust funds is a 'top priority' for the Trump administration, and he also urged Congress to 'protect and strengthen' the trust funds for the millions of Americans who will rely on the program 'now and in the future,' quoted CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan said, 'Congress must act to protect and strengthen the Social Security that Americans have earned and paid into throughout their working lives,' adding, 'as America's population ages, the stability of this vital program only becomes more important,' as quoted in the It is projected to pay full benefits until at least but unless changes are made, you might only receive around 77% of your expected benefits, as per CNBC report.
Time Magazine
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds Are on Track to Run Out in Less Than a Decade. Here's What to Know
Social Security and Medicare are expected to need to cut monthly benefits in less than a decade as the trust funds for both programs are on track to run dry earlier than previously predicted. A report released on Wednesday from the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees pushed up the programs' go-broke dates, meaning the point at which they would not have enough money to fully cover benefits. The worsening projections are in part because of a new law impacting Social Security and increasing health care costs, according to the report. Here's what to know about the approaching funding cliffs. How long will Social Security stay solvent? The go-broke date for Social Security's trust funds was pushed up to 2034, from last year's estimate of 2035. The funds cover old age and disability recipients. The program covers more than 60 million people in the U.S. What about Medicare? Last year's report set the go-broke date for Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund as 2036. But the latest report pushed up that date to 2033. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that offers coverage for people 65 and older, as well as people with certain disabilities. More than 68 million people in the U.S. are enrolled in the program. The hospital insurance trust fund pays for Medicare Part A, which covers care provided in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, as well as some in-home care. It also helps pay for hospice care. Why have the go-broke dates moved up? The report largely attributes the Social Security go-broke date being pushed up to a new law, the Social Security Fairness Act, which took effect in January. The law repealed the Windfall Elimination and Government Pension Offset provisions of the Social Security Act, which 'increased projected Social Security benefit levels for some workers' and affected the go-broke date for Social Security's trust funds, according to the report. Last year's expenses for Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund were also greater than initially anticipated, according to the report, which contributed to the go-broke date for the program being pushed up. What happens after the go-broke dates? The funds hitting their go-broke dates doesn't mean that there won't be any funds to cover any benefits after that point. After 2034, Social Security would only have enough funds to cover 81% of benefits. After 2033, Medicare's hospital insurance trust fund would only be able to pay 89% of costs.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Social security shock for Americans: Retirement trust fund could run dry by 2035, report warns
The Social Security Board of Trustees issued a new warning that the trust fund that helps pay retirement benefits could run out of money by 2033, potentially slashing monthly payments for future retirees, as per a report. The Social Security Board of Trustees' annual report showed that only 77% of scheduled benefits will be payable at that time, as per CNBC. Social Security at Risk Social Security's combined trust funds, which include the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance trust funds, are expected to have only revenue to pay scheduled benefits and administrative costs until 2034, as per CNBC. The projection indicated that 81% of the combined benefits will be payable at that time, according to the report. ALSO READ: Barron Trump's $40 million crypto windfall? Inside the shocking profits from his father's digital coin empire Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 청담동 에스테틱샵에서 난리난 "얼굴 기미" 해결하는 법 두아이연구원 Undo Combined Funds Face Depletion by 2034 According to CNBC, even though the combined depletion date is used to gauge Social Security's solvency, the current law restricts joining those funds, but previously Congress has authorised shifting of the funds, when there have been trust fund shortfalls. Disability Insurance Fund Stable for Now, Medicare at Risk The Disability Insurance Trust Fund will be able to pay full benefits until 2099, and Medicare's Hospital Insurance trust fund, which is associated with Medicare Part A and pays for certain health care services, will be able to pay full benefits only until 2033, reported CNBC. Live Events Calls for Action from Leadership Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano said that the financial status of the trust funds is a 'top priority' for the Trump administration, and he also urged Congress to 'protect and strengthen' the trust funds for the millions of Americans who will rely on the program 'now and in the future,' quoted CNBC. AARP CEO Myechia Minter-Jordan said, 'Congress must act to protect and strengthen the Social Security that Americans have earned and paid into throughout their working lives,' adding, 'as America's population ages, the stability of this vital program only becomes more important,' as quoted in the report. FAQs Is the Disability Insurance fund safe? Yes. It is projected to pay full benefits until at least 2099. Will I still get Social Security after 2033? Yes, but unless changes are made, you might only receive around 77% of your expected benefits, as per CNBC report.
