Bills
| 3.23.22

Does Congress Need Annual Reports on Where Medicare Recipients Live? (H.R. 2505)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 2505?

(Updated March 27, 2018)

This bill seeks to increase Medicare transparency by requiring the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report a bunch of information about the program back to Congress.

Specifically, the Secretary would have to issue a report on use of Medicare every May. This report would detail enrollment in the Medicare Part A, Part B, Part C and Part D programs by a person's zip code, congressional district, and state. 

If the Secretary can't complete the report by May, they can get an extension until June, providing they also send in a letter detailing how and why they messed up.

Argument in favor

This bill would require the Dept. of Health and Human Services to report the specifics of who's using Medicare to Congress. This will make the program more transparent, keep policymakers informed, and lead to more thoughtful healthcare laws.

Argument opposed

Why does Congress need such specific information? How will the zip codes and congressional districts of Medicare recipients help lawmakers make better informed policy decisions? Without proof that they'll actually read it, these reports are a waste of time.

Impact

People that have Medicare Insurance plans, local Medicare providers, the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Cost of H.R. 2505

The CBO estimates implementing this bill wouldn't have an impact on the federal budget — mostly because all of this information is already collected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under current law.

Additional Info

Of Note: Bill sponsor, Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) has been very vocal about his concerns that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is weird and confusing — and even voted to repeal the ACA when it came up for a vote in the House in February 2015. 

It might be easy for critics of this legislation to see it as one of those bills that Congress occasionally floats designed to make government employee’s lives miserable. But, it's important to note that this bill has bipartisan support, and Rep. Kelly has been recognized in the past for his work for Medicare recipients in his home district.


In Depth: Getting your care and caid (er, -are and -aid?) mixed up? Not to worry. Medicare is the government-subsidized plan for seniors (65 and up) and people with disabilities. Medicaid serves low-income people and families of all ages. Medicare Advantage Plans, which the bill name checks, are a conglomerate of traditional Medicare plans provided by a private insurer. According to PBS, about 30 percent of Medicare recipients have Advantage Plans.


Media:


Summary by James Helmsworth
(Photo Credit: Screenshot from Flickr user Cindy Woods "watercolor sketches")