Medicare Hospital Trust Fund Depletion Date Moves From 2024 To 2026

Under current laws, the Medicare hospital insurance trust fund will be depleted by 2026, a slight improvement over the situation in 2012 when it appeared that the fund would be depleted by 2024. Medicare spending growth has slowed some since 2010 and the economy has improved; the two factors have decreased projected trust fund spending by $500 billion over the next decade. Currently, there are about 52 million Medicare beneficiaries. Total Medicare expenditures in 2012 were $574.2 billion. Total income was $536.9 billion. By 2025, the number of Medicare beneficiaries is projected to increase by 40% to an . . .