Medicare Won’t Have Enough Money to Pay Full Benefits After 2031: Report
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The fund covering Medicare's hospital-insurance benefits is now projected to run out of money in 2031, according to a new report by Medicare trustees.
This new insolvency date gives policymakers three more years than previously estimated to address impending financial setbacks that are facing the social safety net program, which provides health care benefits to tens of millions of Americans.
The ultimate insolvency date will likely change, the trustees say, due to difficulties in accurately projecting program expenditures. That leaves the exact timeline unclear for lawmakers to hash out a plan to mend Medicare's finances, which could require an increase in taxes, a cut in benefits or a combination of both to keep benefits paying out in full.
What the report says
In a report released Friday, Medicare’s Board of Trustees provided the latest snapshot of the program’s finances. On the whole, Medicare is on sounder financial footing than indicated in last year’s trustee report, though financial shortfalls still loom.
