Health Care Reform

9:15 Due to the upcoming presidential election, the two major political parties, and their candidates, have been focusing on the primary problems that the nation will face. Chief among those problems is the future of Medicare, the national health-insurance plan. Medicare was enacted in 1965, under the administration of Lyndon B. Johnson, in order to provide health insurance for retired citizens and the disabled (Ryan). The Medicare program covers most people aged 65 or older, as well as handicapped people who enroll in the program, and consists of two health plans: a hospital insurance plan (part A) and a medical insurance plan (part B) (Marmor 22). Before Medicare, many Americans didn't have health insurance coverage, but since its inception the program has enrolled almost 40 million beneficiaries, who jointly fund the insurance program along with the national government (Carnegie). According to Dr. Don McCanne, a member of the Board of Directors of Physicians for a National Health Program, Before the passage of Medicare in 1965, only 52% of persons age 65 and over had hospital insurance and less than 15% had adequate health insurance (McCanne). The Medicare program has improved access to healthcare and improved the quality of life for millions of elderly members, and has provided insurance for millions of persons with disabilities. By reducing the burden of large medical bills, Medicare also has improved the economic status of the elderly. As Dorothy Price points out Over its 33 year history, Medicare has channeled billions of dollars into the health care system, helping to foster enormous improvements in health care technology and medical education (Carnegie). Unfortunately though, the program is now facing two major problems: beneficiaries are still having trouble in finding affordable care, and the Medicare program itself is not properly funded. As a result of these problems, the program could cease to exist unless a solution is found. One of the problems of Medicare itself is that it doesn't cover the costs of prescription drugs for its members; this has led to one of the major reasons that the program is in danger. A great deal of personal healthcare relies on the use of drugs, and since the program doesn't cover these costs, the individual must bear them. According to the AARP, in 1999 out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs were estimated to be $450 per person each year (AARP). Obviously, members have joined the program to defray their medical costs, but these figures indicate that they still have large costs to pay. The other problem faced by the Medicare program is that it is also suffering from a lack of funds. According to Governor George W. Bush, the financial health of Medicare is in serious jeopardy and might face deficit as soon as 2010 (Bush). As a result of these major problems, one might wonder why the plan isn't scrapped for another program; well according to polls done by the Public Agenda, an Internet

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