Older Americans, medicare, and the affordable care act: What's really in it for elders?

During the ACA debate, much confusion occurred about the legislation's impact on Medicare. The reality is that Medicare's traditional guaranteed benefits remain intact and there are significant improvements in access to preventive services and better prescription drug coverage for Medicare Part D. There is also misunderstanding surrounding Medicare Advantage Plans, which received a reduction in reimbursement levels to make them more on par with traditional Medicare benefits. As a result of this reduction and other components of the ACA, the Medicare trust fund's solvency is projected to extend an additional 12 years. This article summarizes these changes and projects how they might actually play themselves out through the implementation process.