Election season is here and both parties are in the mode of pointing fingers at each other.  One common theme is the cuts being made to Medicare and how this will affect Americans.  The health care reform bill plans on slowing growth of Medicare by about $500 billion over the next ten years and this has many seniors concerned.

Many politicians are using these cuts to instill fear in the minds of seniors who worry they will lose valuable benefits.  Regardless of where you stand politically, it’s hard to determine who is painting an accurate picture of how Medicare will ultimately be affected by these cuts.  While it’s true that cuts will be made, benefits will also be added benefiting beneficiaries.  It seems to be a matter of opinion whether the added benefits are worth the cuts made to Medicare payments going to hospitals and providers.  It will take many years to see results and determine if the cuts were worth it.

Bottom line is that the consumer, and more importantly, the voter, needs to research each candidate’s platform carefully.  The Medicare ads prove that you cannot always take commercials at face value.  Take the time to educate yourself on the facts and form your own opinion.  The Medicare debate will probably never go away, but based on the way voters vote this election season we may see big changes.