A cut to Medicare that could affect millions is buried in Trump's tax law

[lostincalifornia]

"Millions of older Americans living in poverty are entitled to free or heavily subsidized Medicare coverage. But the new Republican tax law will keep that benefit out of reach for many by reintroducing confusing and onerous paperwork requirements.

People who get subsidized coverage through what’s known as Medicare Savings Programs get to keep hundreds of dollars per month that they can use toward rent, food, or other necessities. They can also go see their doctor or refill prescriptions more readily if they know they won’t owe anything.

The new law, signed by President Trump, doesn’t eliminate these Medicare Savings Programs. But it rolls back a regulation that made it a lot easier for people to sign up. It’s a de facto cut for Medicare beneficiaries despite Trump’s promise not to touch the program, and one that’s flown under the radar as health care advocates and industry groups focused their energy on the law’s steep cuts to Medicaid.

Health policy experts and counselors who help people enroll in Medicare Savings Programs told STAT they worry vulnerable people will be harmed by the law’s restrictions. The fallout won’t happen immediately, they say, but gradually and with little trace: Eligible people who struggle to enroll will face financial pain from draining their bank accounts to cover Medicare costs they shouldn’t have to pay, or physical pain from putting off care they can’t afford."


https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/28/medicare-savings-programs-red-tape/

[UpInArms]

1. It's the cruelty

Not a bug, a feature

[dalton99a]

2. Kick