Medicare: A Policy Primer

Medicare: A Policy Primer

Review"...[A] comprehensive, clear, up-to-date, and definitive picture of the program, its beneficiaries, its politics, and its ongoing policy challenges." -- Robert H. Binstock, professor of aging, health, and society, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University"A readable roadmap to sanity and decency in Americas health care system." -- Robert M. Hayes, president, Medicare Rights CenterFor some, Medicare is a model of what national health insurance could be in the United States. Despite its low administrative costs and significant contributions to the well-being of America's oldest and most disabled citizens, some critics assail the program as being out of sync with the needs of many senior citizens, while others often refer to it as "unsustainable" because of its high costs. Physicians and hospital administrators endlessly criticize and debate Medicare, but rely upon it for a substantial share of their revenues. In Medicare: A Policy Primer, Marilyn Moon explains what Medicare is, how it works, and where is it headed. She examines the problems facing the program and which reform options hold the most promise. She also examines the history of Medicare and how the program works in the broader context of health care, the federal government, and the economy. It is a clear introduction to one of the most critical debates in health policy and an important volume for anyone interested in the future of Medicare.Review"...[A] comprehensive, clear, up-to-date, and definitive picture of the program, its beneficiaries, its politics, and its ongoing policy challenges." - Robert H. Binstock, professor of aging, health, and society, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University"A readable roadmap to sanity and decency in America's health care system." - Robert M. Hayes, president, Medicare Rights CenterAbout the AuthorMarilyn Moon is vice president and director of the Health Program at the American Institutes for Research. A nationally known expert on Medicare, she has served as a senior fellow at the Urban Institute and as a public trustee for the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Dr. Moon has written extensively on health policy, both for the elderly and the population in general, and on social insurance issues. From 1993 to 2000, Moon also wrote a periodic column for the Washington Post on health reform and health coverage issues. She has served on a number of boards for nonprofit organizations and is currently president of the board of the Medicare Rights Center and the National Academy of Social Insurance. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Previously, she has been an associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a senior analyst at the Congressional Budget Office, and the founding director! of the Public Policy Institute of the American Association of Retired Persons.