TIME IS RUNNING OUT FOR ENTITLEMENT REFORM

In 1993, President Clinton created the Bipartisan Commission on Entitl ement and Tax Reform as part of the administration's effort to promote economic growth and control the budget deficit. The purpose of the co mmission, chaired by Senator J. Robert Kerrey (D-NE) and Senator John C. Danforth (R-MO), is to seek bipartisan agreement on long-term entit lement reform and structural changes to the tax system. The final reco mmendations of the commission, due December 15, will be of great inter est to the academic medicine community because of the importance of fe deral dollars to medical research and education and the crucial role o f the Medicare and Medicaid programs in financing the care provided by teaching physicians and teaching hospitals. What follows is a summary of the commission's interim report submitted to the president on Augu st 8; it reflects the commissioners' almost unanimous (30 to 1) agreem ent on the nature and magnitude of the entitlement problem.