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Barbara Markham Smith, JD; Sara Rosenbaum, JD

JAMA. 1999;282:1760-1763.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Adjournment of the Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare without a proposed solution to Medicare's long-term solvency problems created a small tempest in Washington. The eye of the hurricane was a proposal to introduce more market competition into Medicare by converting it into a premium-based insurance plan. Under the proposal, the federal government would pay a defined portion of the premium for a standard benefit package, and the beneficiary would pay the rest.

The failure of the proposal, known as premium-support, to attract a consensus among the commissioners triggered a promise by its sponsors to introduce it as legislation in Congress. That promise certainly will be kept, although the current budgetary battle may delay the date of introduction.¹ Indeed, this proposal will be highlighted as a counterpoint to the president's Medicare proposal in the ongoing Medicare debate. Therefore, an analysis of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

The Challenge

Author Affiliations: Center for Health Services Research and Policy, School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University Medical Center, Washington, DC.