This administration seems to like the B52 Stealth Bomber – a lot. So much that their modus operandi seems to have embraced the stealth tactic. They have chosen to fly under the radar or change direction to make sudden drastic changes to federal programs and domestic and foreign policies – including the new sudden cuts to Medicaid – which will be devastating.
However, this administration’s most alarming and not publicized under-the-radar moves are the cuts to Medicare in the newly signed budget bill. This appears to be hidden in the bill even though the president had previously stated there would be no changes to Medicare. The new bill will balloon the federal deficit due to the vast new budgetary increases and tax cuts for the wealthy.
Because of this, the statutory Pay-As-You Go act of 2010 could be triggered.
According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) archives, this law requires “that all new legislation changing taxes, fees, or mandatory expenditures, taken together, must not increase the projected deficits.”
As mandated by this act, sequestration (automatic spending cuts) may be triggered in certain programs given the increased deficit.
According to KFF, (Kaiser Family Foundation), if “Congress takes no further action, the increase in the deficit would trigger mandatory cuts, also known as sequestration, under the Statutory Pay-As-You Go Act of 2010. These cuts would total approximately $500 billion to Medicare over 2026 to 2034, according to CBO, based on an increase in the deficit of 2.3 trillion over 10 years.”
Medicare could face an automatic spending reduction capped at 4% over the next ten years. This would affect payments to hospitals, physicians, other healthcare providers, Medicare Advantage Plans, and standalone prescription drug plans. These cuts could lead to reductions in services – such as reduced provider participation in Medicare – and potentially affect the quality of care to beneficiaries.
In addition, the bill will terminate Medicare coverage for many beneficiaries with lawful immigration status who have worked and paid taxes in this country for years. For those beneficiaries with low income, it will also reduce access to the Medicare Savings Programs (MSP’s) which helps pay for Medicare costs such as premiums.
Significant budget increases and a ballooning deficit are what conservatives have railed against for years. What suddenly happened to their fiscal conservatism?
With the sudden and swift changes to healthcare and social safety net programs made by this administration, it appears that they have been influenced under the radar by the draconian ideas in Project 2025. What will be their next stealth maneuver?
Leslie Gray
Webster