What is being cut? and who is losing benefits?
What a good question.
Fraud is being cut. Eligibility requirements are getting more stringent, leading to fewer people getting carte blanche approval and coverage. Some estimates quote a 10-20 million reduction in Medicaid benefits... but an astute voter will note that those cuts are due to the more stringent eligibility requirements (focusing specifically on non-citizens) and may in fact lead you to believe that we may just be paying people/allowing people to get benefits that don't qualify or don't need medicare/medicaid.
For Medicare/Medicaid impact on American citizens-
- No cuts to core services (hospital stays, physician services, pharma)
- Adults over 65 won't see cuts to Part A/Part B services (65+ remains largely status quo)
- Blocks grants and per capita caps allow more state control
- Generalized restructuring of payment
Drawbacks-
- Reducing medicare payments could lead to providers deciding to stop taking medicare/medicar clients- this is both indirect and speculative
- Stringent eligibility requirements could drive tougher access, for both those that are truly eligible and those that aren't
- Higher medicare premiums could select out for a small portion of low-income beneficiaries
The bottom line is that there won't be sweeping changes to the process (much to my lament) for rank and file Americans. The "they're coming for your benefits" line of attack doesn't have any teeth.
The third rails of spending are these entitlements- we are going to do absolutely nothing to the deficit until we address social security, medicare/medicaid, and military spending.