Medicare

Medicare is the second-largest federal program and provides subsidized medical insurance for the elderly and certain disabled people. CBO’s work on Medicare includes projections of federal spending under current law, cost estimates for legislative proposals, and analyses of specific aspects of the program and options for changing it.

Report
Budgetary Effects of a Policy That Would Lower the Age of Eligibility for Medicare to 60
May 16, 2022
CBO and the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation estimate that lowering the age of Medicare eligibility to 60 would increase federal budget deficits, change primary sources of health insurance, and increase the number of people insured.
Report
The 2020 Long-Term Budget Outlook
September 21, 2020
CBO presents its projections of what federal deficits, debt, spending, and revenues would be for the next 30 years if current laws governing taxes and spending generally did not change.
Report
Prices for and Spending on Specialty Drugs in Medicare Part D and Medicaid
March 18, 2019
In 2015, brand-name specialty drugs accounted for about 30 percent of net spending on prescription drugs under Medicare Part D and Medicaid, but they accounted for only about 1 percent of all prescriptions dispensed in each program.
Report
A Premium Support System for Medicare: Updated Analysis of Illustrative Options
October 5, 2017
CBO presents new estimates of the budgetary effects of options for a premium support system for Medicare and examines the reasons for the changes in the estimates, including changes in law that have affected the Medicare program.