In his new book, AEI’s Joe Antos explains the structure and financing of Medicare, the program’s problems and proposed solutions for reform.
Excerpt:
“Premium support” is on everyone’s lips, but more often as a badge of fidelity to a political party than as part of a serious discussion about Medicare’s impending crisis and what to do about it. Members of the Democratic Party typically say premium support means vouchers and “ending Medicare as we know it.” Members of the Republican Party typically say premium support gives seniors choices, promotes competition, and saves Medicare from dismantlement. Political debate does not often permit a careful discussion of Medicare’s problems and potential solutions. This volume seeks to remedy that limitation of election-year discourse and provide a guide to sustainable long-term Medicare reform.
The president and the next Congress will face unprecedented challenges to kick-start a lagging economy and to rein in the federal deficit. The fiscal crisis provides both the opportunity and the necessity for policymakers to undertake the difficult task of reforming the Medicare program. In so doing, we can finally begin the journey to a health system that works.