Richard W. Bank, MD is a 67-year-old medical consultant who feels that proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid would negatively impact elderly and poor communities. In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services initially proposed cuts to the popular Medicare Advantage program, but faced resistance from insurers and politicians. While the CMS later suggested a smaller 1.9% reduction, health industry lobbyists challenged this and the CMS ultimately agreed to a 0.4% payment increase after reconsidering factors like risk assessment methods.

1. By Richard W Bank MD

2.  Richard W. Bank, MD, who is 67 years old, draws
upon decades of experience in the medical field.
Richard W. Bank, MD, is a medical consultant and
business veteran who feels strongly that
Medicare and Medicaid cuts would have a
negative effect on elderly and poor communities.
In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS) initially proposed cuts to the
wildly popular Medicare Advantage program, but
this was met with resistance from private health
insurance companies and politicians on Capitol
Hill. Medicare Advantage serves roughly 30% of
all Medicare clients.

3.  The CMS suggested a reduction of 1.9 percent in
2015, which was subsequently challenged by
health-industry lobbyists; health care industry
leaders have resisted cuts to Medicare payments,
arguing that it will lead to a reduction in choices
and quality of care for seniors. The CMS
reconsidered and agreed to an increase of
roughly 0.4 percent in payments, which is a bit
higher than the amount requested by insurers; it
indicated that a variety of factors influenced its
decision, including a change in the way it
conducts risk assessment, and that it had
overestimated Medicare's rate of growth.