Kaiser: “With Medicare expected to be a key part of Washington’s ongoing debate about solutions to reduce the federal budget and national debt, this report serves as a compendium of policy options that may be discussed in upcoming budget debates. The report presents a wide array of options in several areas and lays out the possible implications of these options for Medicare beneficiaries, health care providers, and others, as well as estimates of potential savings, when available. The report is intended to serve as a reference guide for policymakers and others as the debate moves forward. The report does not endorse or recommend a specific set of Medicare policy options, nor is it designed to achieve a specific savings target. Rather, it was designed to review options that may be considered. Savings and revenue options were compiled from government reports, recent debt reduction proposals, the literature, and interviews with dozens of leading health care and Medicare policy experts. The report includes options in the following areas:

• Medicare eligibility, beneficiary costs, and program financing;
• Medicare payments to providers and plans;
• Delivery system reform and care for high-need beneficiaries;
• Medicare program structure; and
• Medicare program administration, including program integrity.”