The Obama administration on Friday proposed cuts in Medicare payment rates for managed-care plans serving more than one-fourth of all beneficiaries, and Republicans immediately pounced on the proposal, which appears likely to become a significant issue in this year’s midterm elections. The proposed reductions were larger than the administration had indicated in guidance given to the insurance industry in December. Jonathan Blum, a top Medicare official, cited the “historically low growth in Medicare per capita spending” as a reason for the proposal. But Republicans said beneficiaries would suffer as a result of the cuts, which they traced to the Affordable Care Act. Read more http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/22/u...n-medicare-payments.html?hpw&rref=health&_r=0
