Both programs are major sources of government spending and could find themselves in the sights of those who want to slash federal budgets.
The Department of Government Efficiency, aka DOGE, is a task force Trump has appointed, headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. It has some lofty resolutions for its stated goal of cutting wasteful government spending.
The caps are mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act. No Medicare patient will pay more than $2,000 out of pocket for prescription drugs.
That drop in payments has a ripple effect through the health care system. It’s particularly hard on small, rural practices, some doctors say.
Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing Medicare take on these costs, as most Americans rely instead on unpaid care from family.
The Republican Party says it will maintain Social Security and Medicare entitlements without cutting benefits, but that’s a tall order.
These programs are the biggest part of the budget, and cuts to them feel personal, one expert says. Reducing them has been tough historically.
Until now, the only staffing rule for nursing homes has been that they have “sufficient” staff, without specifying what that means.
But drug companies are trying to stymie the effort with a raft of lawsuits.
Loosened restrictions on who can bill the program for mental health services mean more options for Americans, especially in rural areas.
