The Biden-Harris administration’s handling of health care policies under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) resulted in $266 billion being diverted from Medicare to green energy, leading to a 21.5% increase in Part D premiums and a dramatic reduction in available plans, according to an analysis by the Health Market and Policy Network, led by Joe Grogan, a former domestic policy aide during the Trump administration.
The administration's intervention, including a $10 billion subsidy to insurers, is a temporary measure to mask the deeper problems created by these changes, according to the analysis sent to health care groups on Monday.
The analysis, which comes just a day before the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump, also criticized the administration’s handling of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for allegedly enabling widespread fraud and costing billions, while cuts and tighter regulations have made it harder for seniors to access benefits.
HEALTH CARE IS 'OVERLY COMPLEX' FOR OLDER ADULTS, EXPERTS SAY: 'AN INCREASINGLY GREATER OBSTACLE'
Vice President Kamala Harris is hugged by President Biden during a campaign event at IBEW Local Union #5 on September 2, 2024 in Pittsburgh. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“With a presidential debate looming and a rapid move toward Election Day, health care policy will be vigorously debated,” Grogan told Fox News Digital. “Given that many in the mainstream media have been all too eager to promote the Biden administration's progressive narrative that only more government control and more deficit spending will make America healthier, a more sober assessment of the Biden-Harris record is essential to help Americans understand the issues.”
“Our brief analysis reveals a series of failures in health care policy: catastrophically flawed legislation, counterproductive regulations, and an executive branch more committed to control than to positive health care outcomes,” he added.
The analysis also claims that the Biden-Harris administration “suppressed medical perspectives that contradicted its preferred narratives and censored dissenting scientists.”
According to the report, by increasing subsidies and offering free plans to people above the poverty line, they encouraged some to report low incomes, causing up to 5 million people to enroll fraudulently, costing taxpayers between $15 billion and $20 billion in 2024.
“Due to poor oversight of ACA brokers, reports emerged this year of ACA plan switches and thousands of other Americans enrolling in ACA-backed plans, all without their knowledge or consent,” the report states.
The changes the Biden-Harris administration has implemented to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans have also reduced payments to insurers and made it harder for these plans to offer additional benefits for seniors. The new restrictions and lower payments may lead to higher costs for beneficiaries and fewer benefits such as dental and vision care, according to the report.
According to the analysis, the administration also “prioritized radical identity politics over medical expertise” and, in 2021, offered extra pay to doctors who made plans to focus on race in their care. They also required brain research groups to include diversity goals in their funding applications.
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION USING TAXPAYER MONEY TO MASK MEDICARE PRE-ELECTION PREMIUM INCREASES: CRITICS
The analysis says the Biden-Harris administration “suppressed medical perspectives that contradicted its preferred narratives and censored dissenting scientists.” (iStock)
In a move that critics say is designed to protect the The Biden-Harris administration In the aftermath of the election, the administration also used taxpayer funds to mask upcoming increases in Medicare premiums last month.
Under the IRA, which was intended to cap out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, insurers are poised to significantly increase monthly premiums, with average bids for Part D plans expected to triple by 2025.
Americans are also grappling with rising costs for prescription drugs, which have increased nearly 40% over the past decade, easily outpacing inflation.
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In response to potential voter backlash, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a three-year “demonstration project” in August to subsidize these premiums, with the goal of keeping them artificially low. Despite the appearance of relief, however, some critics say taxpayers will fund a dramatic increase in subsidies—from $30 per beneficiary per month in 2024 to $142.70 in 2025—raising concerns about the long-term impact on government spending and debt.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by publication deadline.
FOX Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.
