The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will have sufficient funds to pay full benefits until 2031, according to the latest annual report by the Medicare Board of Trustees. That’s three years longer than reported last year, mainly due to lower projected health care spending based on more recent data, trustees said. Known as Medicare Part A, the HI Trust Fund helps pay for inpatient hospital services, hospice care, and skilled nursing facility and home health services following hospital stays.
 
The Trustees report also projects lower expenditures for the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund, known as Medicare Part B, in part due to lower projected spending for Part B and D drugs. The federal government automatically adjusts SMI Trust Fund contributions and premiums annually to cover costs for the upcoming year. 
 
The Congressional Budget Office, which conducts its own solvency analyses, recently projected that the HI Trust Fund would remain fully funded until 2033, two years longer than the new Medicare trustees report.

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA Aug. 28 expressed support for the Preserving Patient Access to Accountable Care Act in comments to House and Senate sponsors of the bill. The…
Headline
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Aug. 21 announced the creation of a Healthcare Advisory…
Headline
A JAMA study published Aug. 18 found that plan design changes by Medicare Part D insurers, particularly for Medicare Advantage plans, following passage of the…
Chairperson's File
Public
The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act will bring big changes to health care. AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack joined me for a Leadership Dialogue…
Headline
The House Ways and Means Subcommittees on Health and Oversight held a joint hearing today to discuss lessons learned, challenges and opportunities to improve…
Headline
The AHA today expressed support for the Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act, a bill that would eliminate the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient…