Washington Post (02/16/12)
U.S. Sens. Tom Coburn and Richard Burr are introducing a Medicare rescue plan which they hope will prompt fellow policymakers and the public into a conversation about what changes need to be made to preserve Medicare for the future. The plan will be announced on Feb. 16, and features a number of changes that had received bipartisan approval when included in proposals from other policymakers in 2011. These include limiting the ability for seniors to use private supplemental insurance, revamping the program's copayments, raising premiums for upper-income beneficiaries, and gradually increasing eligibility age to 67. The bill that Coburn and Burr plan to launch however, has several differing points: the system would begin to transition into being dominated by private insurance in 2016, while seniors would get a fixed amount from the government to use either for a private plan or the government plan; none of which would have spelled out benefits, but would be competing with each other. The Congressional Budget Office has not reviewed the proposal but Coburn and Burr claim it could save between $200 billion and $500 billion i 10 years.

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