Outlook for Medicare Has Improved a Bit, U.S. Estimates

[alp227]

Source: new york times

The financial outlook for Medicare has improved because of a stronger economy and slower growth in health spending, and the financial condition of Social Security has not worsened, but is still unsustainable, the Obama administration said Friday.

“The projections in this year’s report for Social Security are essentially unchanged from last year, and those for Medicare have improved modestly,” said Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew.

The Medicare trustees — four federal officials and two public representatives — said “the modest improvement in the outlook” for Medicare’s long-term finances reflected lower projected spending for skilled nursing homes and private Medicare Advantage plans.

Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund will be exhausted in 2026, the administration said, and the Social Security trust fund will be depleted in 2033.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/01/us/politics/outlook-for-medicare.html

[zipplewrath]

1. Gosh

"The financial outlook for Medicare has improved because of a stronger economy and slower growth in health spending, and the financial condition of Social Security has not worsened, but is still unsustainable, the Obama administration said Friday."

If we had only thought to pass some reforms or something that maybe tried to do something about this "unsustainablilty". Maybe we could have try to pass some sort of "affordability act" or something.

[DJ13]

2. Does this signal that the idea of "fixing" either program has lost favor in DC?