Geographic Variation In Medicare Spending And The Real Focus Of Medicare Reform

Since its enactment, Medicare has played a major role in reducing poverty among the elderly and increasing life expectancy. First and foremost, the program's benefit package is outdated and should be modernized to include prescription drugs and long-term care. According to the authors, increase...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inHealth affairs (Millwood, Va.) Vol. 21; pp. W115 - W117
Main Authors Baucus, Max, Fowler, Elizabeth J
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chevy Chase The People to People Health Foundation, Inc., Project HOPE 01.01.2002
Subjects
Beneficiaries
Competition
Congressional committees
Cost control
Drugs
Expenditures
Focus groups
Geriatrics
Government programs
Health care policy
Income
Legislatures
Life expectancy
Life span
Long-term care
Low income groups
Medicaid
Medicare
Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement & Modernization Act 2003-US
Modernization
Older people
Poverty
Prescription drugs
Reforms
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Summary:Since its enactment, Medicare has played a major role in reducing poverty among the elderly and increasing life expectancy. First and foremost, the program's benefit package is outdated and should be modernized to include prescription drugs and long-term care. According to the authors, increased spending does not necessarily translate into better health outcomes. Most low-income seniors are eligible for costsharing assistance through either the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary (QMB) program, the Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary (SLMB) program, or the Qualified Individual (QI) program. Because of a lack of information, burdensome application procedures, and lukewarm outreach effort by many states, however, only 60 percent of eligible beneficiaries participate in the QMB or SLMB program, and only 3 percent of those eligible for QI-1 assistance were enrolled in the program in the first year.9 We agree that efforts should be made to encourage the CMS to become a more prudent purchaser of care for beneficiaries and that Congress must work to rectify vast regional disparities in Medicare spending.
ISSN:0278-2715
1544-5208