Virus Throws Uncertainty on Social Security, Medicare Forecasts (1)

The trust fund that pays Medicare inpatient hospital costs will be able to pay scheduled benefits until 2026, the same as last year’s projection, according to a federal report. But how the Covid-19 outbreak affects that remains to be seen.

The findings from the Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees’ annual report don’t reflect the impact of the ongoing pandemic, but the report provides an illuminating under-the-hood look at the nation’s two largest entitlement programs. Medicare and Social Security together accounted for 41% of total federal expenditures in fiscal 2019.

Social Security can pay full benefits until ...