Medicare at 50: Moving Forward
In the <a href="/publications/journal-article/2015/jan/medicare-50-moving-forward">second part</a> of their report in the <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em> on Medicare’s past, present, and future, The Commonwealth Fund’s David Blumenthal, M.D., and Stuart Guterman, and Karen Davis of the Johns Hopkins University Lipitz Center for Integrated Healthcare examine the program’s challenges and weigh the options for both incremental and comprehensive reform.<br /><br />
The authors review the pros and cons of new methods for rewarding providers that improve quality and lower costs, from value-based purchasing to bundled payment. They also discuss the potential of “premium support”—advocated by those who favor a market-based approach—and proposals to greatly simplify Medicare and incentivize consumers to choose high-value providers.<br />
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<a href="/publications/journal-article/2015/jan/medicare-50-origins-and-evolution">Part 1</a> of the series looked at the origins and history of the popular program.</p>