MEDICARE MANIA

March 1999
		How should the federal government reform Medicare before it becomes unaffordable? Answering your questions are Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund; Robert Reischauer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Stuart Butler, vice president for domestic and economic policy studies at the Heritage Foundation.

The pros and cons of Sen. Breaux's plan. Should the age of eligibility be raised? Would prescription drugs be covered? Federal Employee Health Benefits and Medicare Predicting Medicare's future. Medicare and the budget surplus.     February 25, 1999: Reforming Medicare. The NewsHour's Health Spotlight. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Medicare The National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare The Heritage Foundation The Commonwealth Fund supports health issue research The Brookings Institution.	Medicare provides health insurance for almost 40 million elderly and disabled Americans. According to experts, the system urgently needs to be restructured or risk losing its fiscal stability in the next few decades. Facing this stark financial reality, a bipartisan commission was formed to shape a Medicare reform package that both houses of Congress would find acceptable. Despite a proposal from the group's chairman that had some support, they never came to a consensus and folded up camp. "The President has said save Social Security first. But that was not intended to mean save Medicare second. I mean, Medicare is a much more serious problem," Sen. John Breaux (D-LA), the commission's chair, said. Breaux proposed patterning a new Medicare system after the program used by federal employees, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). In doing so, he says, the benefits would be a combination of "existing government protections and market-based competition." While his plan was not approved by a supermajority in the commission, Breaux will likely introduce it on the floor at a later date. Others insist that Breaux's plan won't save as much money as its advocates suggest and would place beneficiaries at greater financial risk. Questions asked in this forum: The pros and cons of Sen. Breaux's plan. Should the age of eligibility be raised? Would prescription drugs be covered? Federal Employee Health Benefits and Medicare Predicting Medicare's future. Medicare and the budget surplus. Answering your questions are Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund; Robert Reischauer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; and Stuart Butler, vice president for domestic and economic policy studies at the Heritage Foundation.