Overview

The Clinton Administration first announced its proposal for Medicare reforms in June 1999, and revised it moderately for its fiscal year 2001 budget submission. This proposal represents an alternative to the plan developed for the National Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare. Although the approach of the Administration proposal is more incremental, the plan nonetheless offers a broad range of changes that could have a dramatic impact on the program. This paper discusses four elements of that proposal: improving the benefit package, enhancing the management tools available for the traditional Medicare program, redirecting competition in the private plan options, and adding further resources to ensure the program's security in the coming years.

Citation