Instead of working on new and more complicated ways to setthousands of prices, Medicare should adopt a premium supportframework modeled after the Federal Employees Health BenefitsProgram; under premium support, the federal government can makecontributions that are limited while providing needed protectionsto beneficiaries. This is far superior to the promise of a Medicareentitlement that cannot be kept.
To develop true Medicare reform, the Administration and Congressneeds a clearer set of illness-specific, beneficiary-leveldata-particularly for the oldest and sickest Medicare patients.This will enable Medicare officials to focus on this populationthrough a cost-effective case management approach.
The available evidence does not indicate that a public plan modeledon Medicare could provide health care comparable to that offered byexisting private plans, let alone at a lower cost. Contrary toproponents' claims, a public plan could not achieve cost savings orsubstantially reduce the number of uninsured without substantiallyreducing the quality and access to health care that Americanscurrently enjoy.
The available evidence does not indicate that a public plan modeledon Medicare could provide health care comparable to that offered by existing private plans, let alone at a lower cost. Contrary toproponents' claims, a public plan could not achieve cost savings orsubstantially reduce the number of uninsured without substantiallyreducing the quality and access to health care that Americanscurrently enjoy.
Failure to link benefit improvements with needed reforms willsimply lead to a Medicare program that is inferior and fails toprovide enough help to those who need it while passing a hugefinancial burden on to future generations.