Redesigning the Medicare Contract

"Challenging conventional ideas, Edward F. Lawlor suggests that we look at Medicare as a contract between the federal government, the program's beneficiaries, and health care providers. Medicare reform, then, would involve rewriting this contract so that it more successfully serves the interests of both beneficiaries and taxpayers. Lawlor argues that we must improve the agency of the program - the informational, organizational, and incentive elements that ensure that Medicare serves beneficiary and taxpayer interests in providing the most appropriate, high-quality care possible.Effective policy design for Medicare requires greater appreciation of the vulnerability of beneficiaries, the complexity of the program itself, its wide geographical variations in services and financing, and the realistic possibilities for government and private sector roles. The book includes a chapter devoted to concepts and applications that give definition to this brand of agency theory. Lawlor's innovative approach is matched with a lucid explanation of the history and politics of the Medicare program."--BOOK JACKET.