Limiting Medicare benefits deepens rift among Hill Democrats
Means-testing Medicare, a long-running controversy in health policy debates, is re-emerging as a major source of tension for Democrats seeking a path forward on their stalled social spending package.
Centrist lawmakers are demanding that an expansion of the program to cover dental, vision and hearing care be limited to the poorest Americans, to pare the projected cost by as much as half.
But progressive lawmakers and powerful outside groups like AARP are pushing back, saying the move would fundamentally alter the social insurance program and jeopardize Democrats’ slim margins in the House and Senate by alienating wealthy senior citizens.
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The idea of means-testing resurfaced this week in a set of demands Sen. Joe Manchin made to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in which he outlined his criteria for a $1.5 trillion package. While many Democrats reject the idea, health industry groups like the American Dental Association argue that limiting the scope of the coverage expansion frees up funds for the party's other health priorities.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/limiting-medicare-benefits-deepens-rift-among-hill-democrats/ar-AAP39fD
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That's the way it works already!
