Medicare will face some tough hurdles with its fiscal year 2004 budget, and it is doubtful that there will be much help from the 108th Congress. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services within the Department of Health and Human Services have announced offsets for rising program costs that include a 12.4% increase in beneficiaries’ monthly premiums and a 4.2% cut in physician reimbursement. This article discusses the types and status of Medicare reform legislation debated in past congressional sessions and likely to occur again in the 108th Congress as well as President Bush’s latest proposal for reform.
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