This article traces the history of the Medicare program from its inception in 1965 when it passed as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society era in public policy, through major cost containment reforms in the 1980s and 1990s, and the far-reaching effects of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Implications for nurses who work in public policy are provided as well as scenarios for future reform. Key political players in the Medicare reform debate are introduced and their positions are explained and placed in an overall federal framework for health care reform.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bernstein, J. , & Stevens, R. A. (1999, January/February). Public opinion, knowledge, and Medicare reform. Health Affairs, pp. 180-193.
2.
Blendon, R. J. , & Benson, J. M. (2001, March/April). Americans’ views on health policy: A fifty-year historical perspective. Health Affairs, 33-46.
3.
The Bureau of National Affairs . (2001a, June 25). Health Care Policy Report, 9(25), p. 991.
4.
The Bureau of National Affairs . (2001b, October 15). Health Care Policy Report (p. 1). Washington, DC: Author.
5.
Butler, S. , Skocpol, T., Ball, R. M., & Dionne, E. J. (2001). Medicare’s social contract. In B. B. Longest, Jr. (Ed.), Contemporary Health Policy (pp. 39-64). Ann Arbor, MI: Health Administration Press.
6.
Cain, H. P. (1999, July/August). Moving Medicare to the FEHBP model. Health Affairs, pp. 25-39.
7.
Cassel, C. K. , Besdine, R. W., & Siegel L. C. (1999, January/February). Restructuring Medicare for the next century: What will beneficiaries really need?Health Affairs, pp. 118-131.
8.
Conway-Welch, C. (2001, May). Medicare: Visions for reform. Journal of Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, pp. 25-28.
9.
Goldreich, S. (2001, June 9). CBO scores Medicare bills in ballpark. Congressional Quarterly, pp. 1378.
10.
Gusmano, M. , & Schlesinger, M. (2001, February). The social roles of Medicare: Assessing Medicare’s collateral benefits. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, pp. 37-79.
11.
Iglehart, J. (2001, March/April). Prologue. Health Affairs, p. 8.
12.
Kahn, C. N. , & Kuttner, H. (1999, January/February). Budget bills and Medicare policy: The politics of the BBA. Health Affairs, pp. 37-62.
13.
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . (2001). The Medicare Program. [Online]. Available: www.kff.org
14.
Levine, L. (2001, May 18). CRS Report for Congress: A shortage of registered nurses: Is it on the horizon or already here? (p. 6). Washington, DC: Library of Congress.
15.
Lubitz, J. , Greenberg, L. G., Gorina, Y., Wartzman, L., & Gibson, D. (2001, March/April). Three decades of health care use by the elderly, 1965-96. Health Affairs, pp. 19-32.
16.
McClellan, M. , & Skinner, J. (1999, January/February). Medicare reform: Who pays and who benefits?Health Affairs, pp. 48-62.
17.
Moon, M. (1999, January/February). Will the care be there? Vulnerable beneficiaries and Medicare reform. Health Affairs, pp. 107-117.
18.
Nichols, L. M. , & Reichauer, R. D. (2000, September/October). Who really wants price competition in Medicare managed care?Health Affairs, pp. 30-43.
19.
Oberlander, J. (2000, September/October). Is premium support the right medicine for Medicare?Health Affairs, pp. 84-99.
20.
O’Sullivan, J. (2001, January 26). CRS Report for Congress: Medicare prescription drug coverage for beneficiaries: Background and issues. Washington, DC: Library of Congress.
21.
Patashnik, E. , & Zelizer, J. (2001, February). Paying for Medicare: Benefits, budgets, and Wilbur Mills’s policy legacy. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, pp. 7-36.
22.
U.S. Senate. (2001, February 15). Senators Breaux and Frist unveil bipartisan Medicare reform bills (press release from HELP Committee), pp. 1-8.
23.
Whitelaw, N. A. , & Warden, G. L. (1999, January/February). Reexamining the delivery system as part of Medicare reform. Health Affairs, pp. 132-143.
24.
Wilensky, G. R. , & Newhouse, J. P. (1999, January/February). Medicare: What’s right? What’s wrong? What’s next?Health Affairs, pp. 92-117.
