Medicare 101: Prepare Yourself for the Debate

Much of the early health reform discussion in the administration and new Congress will focus on Medicare. On the agenda: Both the possible addition of a prescription drug benefit and the need for structural changes to the program itself.

Now is a good time to refresh your understanding about the fundamentals of Medicare – how it’s structured, how it’s funded, and how it operates – before the debate heats up. With this in mind, the Alliance for Health Reform and the Kaiser Family Foundation sponsored a February 21, 2003 briefing on the basics of Medicare.

Noted Medicare experts described the program, with plenty of time for questions and answers. Panelistswere Diane Rowland, executive vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation; Tricia Neuman, director of the Medicare Policy Project at the Foundation; and Julian Pettengill, a research director for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. The Alliance’s Ed Howard moderated the discussion.