...
By Suzanne Blake
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Traditional Medicare could face significant changes if "Project 2025" Republicans gain control of Congress and the White House in the upcoming election.
The project details proposed policy initiatives developed by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation for a Republican administration.
One program that is targeted in the proposal is Medicare. For seniors, the federal health program could look very different under Project 2025 leadership. One of the policies proposed in the project calls for private-sector Medicare to become the only option for when seniors enroll in the federal health care insurance.
Read More on U.S.
"I would say this would upend the current state of Medicare much like the Inflation Reduction Act," Chris Fong, a Medicare specialist and the CEO of Smile Insurance Group, told Newsweek.
...
As currently constructed, seniors have traditional government-run Medicare available to them and can enroll in privatized Medicare Advantage plans.
While Medicare Advantage plans often boast benefits like vision and dental care plus lower monthly premiums, it can sometimes limit patients in their choice of health care providers.
"My personal opinion is that it's horrible," Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of michaelryanmoney.com, told Newsweek. "And that comes from many, many years of advising retirees on these decisions. Imagine you've been going to the same doctor for years, and suddenly you're told they're not in your new plan's network. That's the kind of scenario we may be looking at."
In Project 2025, Republicans call for there to be less regulation on Medicare Advantage plans, which are used by just more than half of seniors who qualify for Medicare.
"The larger implications are a fundamental shift in how one of America's largest health insurance programs operates," Ryan said. "It's like changing the rules of the game halfway through—some players might benefit, but others could be left scrambling."
If the Project 2025 policies were enacted, Fong says seniors could see more limited health care choices while insurers see financial benefits due to the reduced regulations.
"Medicare Advantage plans, the private sector option, can have significant limitations on network of providers," Fong said, adding that the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, accepts many employer plans as well as traditional Medicare but not Medicare Advantage plans.
"If the Medicare beneficiary has Original Medicare, the government option, with a Medicare Supplement and Part D, not required but highly recommended, they can continue to be seen at Mayo Clinic."
It's currently not clear how Trump could or would implement Project 2025's policies if reelected. The former president promised to protect Social Security and Medicare during the Republican National Convention but did not offer specifics.
The official Republican Party platform does not mention Medicare Advantage, but Project 2025 was created by a number of Republicans with Trump ties.
Vice presidential pick and Republican Ohio Senator JD Vance said Project 2025 had "some good ideas."
The man who wrote the proposed Medicare policy changes in Project 2025, Roger Severino, worked under the Trump administration as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights.
Despite the project author's ties to Trump, the former president has been murky on the rhetoric in the proposal.
"The real question as this election cycle continues is not 'Will Project 2025's plans become reality if Donald Trump becomes President again?' but rather 'How long will Donald Trump continue to link himself to the plans Project 2025 outlines?' " Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, told Newsweek.
Beene said he thinks a number of concerns related to Project 2025 are moot, saying he thinks Trump is unlikely to implement the plans if he takes office.
"Trump has pivoted in the past when he realized a Republican Party or think tank stance wasn't popular with the masses, and poll after poll has shown us one thing voters hated seeing altered in any way is Medicare," Beene said. "They pay in year after year and expect a robust amount of benefits offered to them once they qualify. Project 2025 may have plans to bring the private sector more into the space, but my bet is regardless of who wins, that possible reality is slim."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines