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Democrats’ proposal would ruin Medicare Part D
The numbers show Republicans were right. When fully implemented in 2006, the actual average premium was not the $35 peg-plus-one-year-of-inflation the Democrats projected, but $32 — a 14% savings from the original projection. Since then, the market has kept the average premium exactly in line with overall, ordinary inflation in the economy, rather than with the much higher rate of healthcare inflation in the intervening years. The $32 monthly in 2006, adjusted for overall inflation, is the almost-exact equivalent of the $42 monthly premium in force for 2020.
The numbers show Republicans were right. When fully implemented in 2006, the actual average premium was not the $35 peg-plus-one-year-of-inflation the Democrats projected, but $32 — a 14% savings from the original projection. Since then, the market has kept the average premium exactly in line with overall, ordinary inflation in the economy, rather than with the much higher rate of healthcare inflation in the intervening years. The $32 monthly in 2006, adjusted for overall inflation, is the almost-exact equivalent of the $42 monthly premium in force for 2020.
