The Medicare problem' is examined as part of the larger problem of providing for the overall financial needs of the elderly. Several myths about Medicare are discussed, and sources and uses of the elderly's full income' are estimated. The paper explores policy options to deal with technology-induced increases in health care expenditures and excessive dependence of the elderly on transfers from the young. The paper concludes that if Americans wish to continue to enjoy the benefits of medical advances, they will have to work more before and after age 65 and will have to increase substantially their rate of saving.
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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number
7504.
Length: Date of creation: Jan 2000 Date of revision: Publication status: published as Fuchs, Victor R. "Medicare Reform: The Larger Picture," Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2000, v14(2,Spring), 57-70. Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7504
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Find related papers by JEL classification: I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
John Geanakoplos & Olivia S. Mitchell & Stephen P. Zeldes, 2000.
"Social Security Money's Worth,"
NBER Working Papers
6722, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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