Healthcare consultant Kip Piper says that among the healthcare matters that Congress may take up when it reconvenes this week is that:

“Congress will face a new problem when [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] announces the Medicare Part B premiums for 2016. Because of the intricacies of the statutory formula and the fact that about 70% of beneficiaries are protected to some degree from big increases in premiums, about 30% of beneficiaries are ultimately responsible for 100% of the annual increases. This means many seniors will likely face a Part B premium increase of 40% or more.”

If that happens, expect renewed loud calls for reform of the whole Medicare system.