Designing a Premium Support System for Medicare
نویسنده
چکیده
Notes All years referred to in this study are calendar years. All dollar amounts are expressed in current dollars. Preface Dr iven by rising health care costs and an aging population, federal spending on the Medicare program will exert substantial pressures on the federal budget over the coming decades. Policymakers have considered a number of strategies for restraining Medicare spending. One approach would restructure the competition between private health plans and the traditional Medicare program by converting Medicare to a " premium support " system. Under such a system, the federal government would contribute an amount that beneficiaries could use to purchase Medicare coverage by enrolling in the traditional program or in a private plan. This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study—prepared at the request of William M. Thomas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee—examines the key decisions to be confronted in designing a premium support system for Medicare and the implications of alternative design choices for federal spending and beneficiaries' premiums. In accordance with CBO's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, the study makes no recommendations. Lyle Nelson prepared the study, with contributions from David Auerbach, under the supervision of Bruce Vavrichek and James Baumgardner. Carol Frost provided assistance with data and tabulations. also of CBO, provided comments on drafts, as did Bryan Dowd of the University of Minnesota and Robert Reischauer of the Urban Institute. (The assistance of external reviewers implies no responsibility for the final product, which rests solely with CBO.) Christine Bogusz edited the study, and Kate Kelly proofread it. Maureen Costantino prepared the study for publication and designed the cover. Lenny Skutnik printed the initial copies, and Simone Thomas produced the electronic version for CBO's Web site (www.cbo.gov).
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