Washington Claims They Will Fix Medical Insurance Come January

Washington just can’t seem to agree on how to fix America’s medical insurance problem. Big changes are on their way come January when the Democratic Party takes more control in Washington. They plan to make some major changes to health care starting with Medicare. For starters, they want to change Medicare private plans and drug benefits. Democrats believe the Republicans have tried to privatize Medicare and turn it into a voucher system. Nearly a quarter of the 44 million who use Medicare as their medical insurance are enrolled in private plans. These medical plans wrap doctor and hospital services into one, which often lowers premiums and adds additional benefit, such as vision and drug coverage. This move to more private medical insurers has increased costs. The government pays private medical insurers 13 percent more on average than traditional fee-for-service Medicare. Democrats say they want to use the savings on Medicare to fun other health initiatives such as expanding the federal-state Children’s Health Insurance Program. Another big medical change Democrats want is to allow the government the power to negotiate for drug prices.