title: The ongoing debate over Medicare: understanding the philosophical and policy divides.
abstract: This Article examines the evolution and status of Medicare, as well as the myriad current efforts to reform this longstanding entitlement. The author analyzes why healthcare financing for the elderly follows an administered pricing, fee-for-service model, while the working population generally obtains its insurance under a competitive market model. As a non-means-tested program modeled after Social Security, Medicare embraces both a universal entitlement philosophy of government-provided basic health services, and a need-based entitlement philosophy of caring for the Medicare-eligible elderly.
authors.affiliation: California Western School of Law, USA.
authors.forename: Susan Adler
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Channick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000191:economics; D005380:Financing, Government; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D010684:Philosophy; D011057:Politics; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D014481:United States