THE MEDICARE REFORMS OF 1997 - HEADLINES YOU DIDNT READ

The 1997 Medicare reforms were among the most important social and hea lth policy legislation of the past three decades. The legislation was notable in reestablishing a viable health policy process; in disprovin g predictions that government-run insurance would restrict consumer fr eedoms more than employer-based health insurance; and in ratifying mar ket-oriented approaches as a national health paradigm. Most important, the legislation achieved a historic philosophical compromise between advocates of govenment health insurance and advocates of private healt h insurance. The political agreements came at the expense of greater r egulatory capture of the Medicare program by health provider and healt h plan interests and at the expense of deficient consumer protections.