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Medicare

The Medicare program provides subsidized medical insurance for the elderly and for some disabled people. During 2012, enrollment in Medicare averaged about 50 million people. Gross spending (excluding administrative costs that are subject to appropriation) for the program was $551 billion. (Net spending, which has beneficiaries’ payments of premiums and some other receipts subtracted out, was $466 billion.) CBO anticipates that Medicare spending will rise rapidly over the next decade, spurred by the retirement of the baby boomers. The agency’s work on Medicare includes projections of future program spending, cost estimates of specific legislative proposals, and a range of analyses of policy options and issues affecting the program.

related publications


  • Updated Budget Projections: Fiscal Years 2013 to 2023

    May 14, 2013
  • The 2012 Long-Term Budget Outlook

    June 05, 2012
  • Updated Budget Projections: Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022

    March 13, 2012
  • Background Paper: CBO's Long-Term Model: An Overview

    June 26, 2009
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How CBO Prepares Long-Term Projections of Federal Spending for Social Security and Major Health Care Programs

presentation

May 21, 2013

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Estimated Effects on Direct Spending and Revenues for Health Care Programs of Proposals in the President's 2014 Budget

data or technical information

May 17, 2013

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Medicare—May 2013 Baseline

data or technical information

May 14, 2013

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related publications


  • Changes in Payments to Physicians

    July 31, 2012
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Medicare's Payments to Physicians: The Budgetary Impact of Alternative Policies Relative to CBO's May 2013 Baseline

data or technical information

May 14, 2013

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monthly archive

  • May 2013 (17)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (22)
  • February 2013 (10)
  • January 2013 (11)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (10)
  • October 2012 (4)
  • September 2012 (6)
  • August 2012 (5)
  • July 2012 (11)
  • June 2012 (8)
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What Would Be the Effect on the Deficit of Using the Chained CPI to Index Benefit Programs and the Tax Code?

posted by Emily Stern on April 18, 2013

monthly archive

  • May 2013 (17)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (22)
  • February 2013 (10)
  • January 2013 (11)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (10)
  • October 2012 (4)
  • September 2012 (6)
  • August 2012 (5)
  • July 2012 (11)
  • June 2012 (8)
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How Have CBO’s Projections of Spending for Medicare and Medicaid Changed Since the August 2012 Baseline?

posted by Doug Elmendorf on February 21, 2013

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  • Additional Data

  • data underlying figures
  • Supplemental Material

  • Federal Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits - Infographic

related publications


  • Refundable Tax Credits

    January 24, 2013
  • Supplemental Security Income: An Overview

    December 11, 2012
  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

    April 19, 2012
  • Spending Patterns for Prescription Drugs Under Medicare Part D

    December 01, 2011
  • An Overview of Federal Support for Housing

    November 03, 2009
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Growth in Means-Tested Programs and Tax Credits for Low-Income Households

report

February 11, 2013

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Medicare—February 2013 Baseline

data or technical information

February 5, 2013

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CBO’s Long-Term Projections for Medicare and Medicaid Spending in the United States

presentation

November 30, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 268 kb)

  • Full Text

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  • blog post

related publications


  • Spending Patterns for Prescription Drugs Under Medicare Part D

    December 01, 2011
  • Letter to the Honorable John Boehner providing an estimate for H.R. 6079, the Repeal of Obamacare Act

    July 24, 2012
  • Issues in Designing a Prescription Drug Benefit for Medicare

    October 30, 2002
  • Effects of Using Generic Drugs on Medicare's Prescription Drug Spending

    September 15, 2010
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Offsetting Effects of Prescription Drug Use on Medicare’s Spending for Medical Services

report

November 29, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 171 kb)

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