This is the second in a series of blog posts designed to provide a deeper dive into the provisions of the 2025 Reconciliation Law (Informally called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act). An earlier installment discussed the impact of the law on reproductive rights and gender affirming care. This installment discusses the impact on the Medicare program.
Of the two primary Federal health care programs, Medicaid experienced the most significant changes in the final version of H.R. 1, the 2025 Reconciliation Law. But Medicare did not go unscathed. In fact, the impact to Medicare will be substantial—both in terms of the law’s express provisions and the broader implications regarding future Medicare payment levels.
What was carved out of the law during the Senate amendment process may be just as important as what was left in, as that Senate carve-out process reflects legislative changes to the Medicare program that were a high enough priority to make it into a House bill that passed by only a single vote, but were omitted from the Senate version for procedural reasons. The Reconciliation Law’s changes are designed to offset increased government costs associated with the Administration’s tax agenda. As a result, the cuts associated with those changes will result in reduced access to certain Medicare services.
In this post, the second in our series that dives deeply into the terms and impact of the Reconciliation Law, we will discuss both the textual and contextual impacts of the law on Medicare, starting with the provisions that actually made it into the law.Continue Reading Medicare Changes as a Result of 2025 Reconciliation Law Could Be Substantial