Medicare Advisers Urge Payment Changes to Rein In Program Costs

A key Medicare panel that advises Congress issued a report Monday analyzing the financial health of the federal insurance program, outlining steps policymakers can take to ensure its continued viability.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission focused much of its 2026 report to Congress on the issue of spending on the federal health program. The panel underscored fraud, improper payments, and misaligned payment incentives as factors behind the Medicare program’s rising costs.

The commission estimates that the federal government doubled its yearly spending on the Medicare program from 2010 to 2023, increasing from $500 billion to $1 ...