Join Us Live for a Discussion on Medicare, Democracy, and the Future of Health Care
What Medicare Private Contracting Means for Older Adults and People With Disabilities
- Positions and Publications
This fact sheet explains what Medicare private contracting means for older adults, people with disabilities, and the health care system.
Some policymakers endorse proposals to give Medicare providers the right to charge beneficiaries more for care than is currently allowed, either through balance billing or private contracting. Under these reforms, providers could require their Medicare patients to negotiate a contract for the cost of their care, or simply charge more for Medicare-covered services, leaving those beneficiaries with additional costs on top of their premiums, copayments, and coinsurance.
Recent Resources
Any changes to the Medicare program must aim for healthier people, better care, and smarter spending—not paying more for less. As policymakers debate the future of health care, we will provide our insights here.
Thinking ahead to Medicare's future, it’s important to modernize benefits and pursue changes that improve how people with Medicare navigate their coverage on a daily basis. Here are our evolving 30 policy goals for Medicare’s future.
You can help protect and strengthen Medicare by taking action on the important issues we are following, subscribe to newsletter alerts, or follow along on social media. Any way you choose to get involved is a contribution that we appreciate greatly.