Trump hedshot

The government’s Office of Management and Budget is reviewing a proposal that would let beneficiaries decouple federal benefits that are conjoined.

Specifically, beneficiaries could decline Medicare Part A without forfeiting their Social Security retirement benefits. Medicare Part A covers some home health care, as well as hospice care and inpatient hospital care.

When the change was laid out in a White House executive order last October, several beneficiary advocates took issue. The Center for Medicare Advocacy claimed that the change would undermine the program’s universality, while also possibly ushering in additional changes.

Even among proponents, there is a general consensus the White House is unlikely to move forward on enacting the policy change before the November election.