title: Three decades of Medicare: what the numbers tell us.
abstract: The Medicare program was first implemented to meet a critical need in American society, and over its thirty-year history it has evolved into an integral part of the U.S. health care system. This DataWatch provides a broad overview of the program, outlining both historical and current trends in coverage, financing, payment mechanisms, beneficiary status, benefits, and spending.
authors.affiliation: Office of the Associate Administrator for Policy, Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), USA.
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Burner
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000266:history; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000266:history; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits / Q000266:history; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000266:history; D006278:Medicare / Q000266:history* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014481:United States