Democrats to propose bill capping out-of-pocket Medicare costs for enrollees

Sen. Ron Wyden and 14 Democratic co-sponsors plan to introduce legislation today to cap consumers' potential out-of-pocket costs in traditional Medicare, resurfacing a long-running debate over why the program doesn't limit beneficiary spending. Even the bill's backers say securing passage this year is a long shot. But the effort is one more opportunity for Democrats to highlight voters' frustration about healthcare costs leading into the November election. Polls show Americans are very concerned about affordability, with a recent Gallup survey finding fewer than half of Americans say they can consistently afford healthcare. Wyden's bill would focus on what many consider a critical pocketbook issue in traditional Medicare : There's no limit on what a beneficiary could pay in cost sharing. "Everyone else in the health insurance neighborhood has one — employer coverage, the Affordable Care Act, all of them have a cap," the Oregon Democrat told KFF Health News. "There's no good, common-sense reason why the flagship health program doesn't have the same protection." Critics of a cap, meanwhile, are likely to pounce on the cost to the federal budget, which could be significant. …