Trustees say Medicare exhausted in 2026

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, accompanied by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, speaks about Social Security and Medicare on Friday at the Treasury Department in Washington. The government says Medicare's giant hospital trust will not be exhausted until 2026, while the date that Social Security will exhaust its trust fund is unchanged at 2033.

WASHINGTON — The government says Medicare’s giant hospital trust will not be exhausted until 2026, while the date that Social Security will exhaust its trust fund is unchanged at 2033.

The date for Medicare is two years later than was projected last year.

The latest projections are included in the annual report of trustees of the trust funds. The new report warns that despite the small improvement in Medicare, both it and Social Security face significant funding challenges as the giant baby boom generation continues to retire.

The reasons for the improved financial outlook for Medicare are an overall slowdown in health care spending, particularly skilled nursing care, as well as lower projected costs for popular insurance plans available within the Medicare program.