This Policy Paper provides a critique of two proposals to redesign the Medicare program: the “Medicare Preservation and Improvement Act of 1999” (S. 1895, introduced by Senator Breaux and others) and “The President’s Plan to Modernize and Strengthen Medicare for the 21st Century.” Rural implications of the proposals are discussed, specifically how they affect rural Medicare beneficiaries and rural providers of health care services.
Both plans redesign the Medicare program in a manner that expands basic benefits and provides increased economic incentives favoring health plans that are able to price their products competitively.
This report was written by RUPRI Health Panel members: Andrew Coburn, Charles Fluharty, J. Patrick Hart, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy McBride, Keith Mueller, Rebecca Slifkin, Mary Wakefield; published May 31, 2000.
