On October 10, 2024, Paragon’s Theo Merkel was quoted by Paragon Public Advisor Ge Bai in Forbes.
From the article:
While the Harris campaign has not disclosed the estimated impact on Medicare spending, the Brookings Institution recently estimated that a “very conservatively designed” program would cost $40 billion a year. Controlling demand in such a program is nearly impossible. For reference, Medicaid, which covers far fewer adults than Medicare, actually spent $207 billion on long-term services and supports in 2021.
“Home health is such a hotbed of fraud,” said Theo Merkel, a health policy expert at the Paragon Health Institute and the Manhattan Institute. “If the proposal is adopted, taxpayers could end up paying for everyone who stays at home with their Medicare-eligible family member as a government paid Service Employees International Union member.”
