Medicare and Medicaid at 50: America's Entitlement Programs in the Age of Affordable Care - Hardcover

"This book provides keen insights into two pillars of America's health insurance system, Medicare and Medicaid. The essays by leading health policy experts describe fifty years of evolution in these landmark programs. This collection of essays will be an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the history of health policy in the United States." -- Congressman Henry Waxman "Medicare and Medicaid are massive and complex programs that are most often studied in pieces-how this program affects that constituent group, how these providers are reacting to that policy, etc. In this new book, these two programs are examined from the varied perspectives of law, politics, history, economics, and sociology. This kind of eclectic approach is important in developing a deeper understanding of these programs and their potential for the future." -- Darin Gordon, President of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (2013-2014) "In this remarkable collection many of our most distinguished analysts of U.S. health politics and policy offer fresh, provocative, and illuminating commentaries on the origins and development of Medicare and Medicaid in the context of the Affordable Care Act. Scholars, students, and citizens have much to learn from this insightful volume." -- Eric M. Patashnik, Director, Center for Health Policy, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA "This volume, with contributions from the leading practitioners in health policy, does a masterful job of explaining the politics and history of the Medicare and Medicaid programs on the occasion of their fiftieth anniversary. From these perceptive essays, readers learn why Medicare and Medicaid have survived for half a century and why they must figure into any future discussion of health care reform." -- Edward Berkowitz, Professor of History and Public Policy, George Washington University "Fifty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid were enacted to help America meet the moral test of caring for its most vulnerable citizens-the children, the elderly, the sick, the needy, and the disabled. This volume of essays explores whether or not Medicare and Medicaid today remain true to that vision. Written for a general audience, this book is a 'must read' for policymakers and private citizens alike." -- Donald Berwick, former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010-2011) "Health-care policy is as difficult to master as it is vital to the country's future; there is no better place for politicians and students to begin their education on the subject than this judiciously assembled, thoughtfully edited, and lucidly written collection." -- Foreign Affairs "Both serious and casual students of health care policy and medical organization will find this book worthwhile and eminently readable." -the American Library Association "This book provides keen insights into two pillars of America's health insurance system, Medicare and Medicaid. The essays by leading health policy experts describe fifty years of evolution in these landmark programs. This collection of essays will be an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the history of health policy in the United States." -- Congressman Henry Waxman "Medicare and Medicaid are massive and complex programs that are most often studied in pieces-how this program affects that constituent group, how these providers are reacting to that policy, etc. In this new book, these two programs are examined from the varied perspectives of law, politics, history, economics, and sociology. This kind of eclectic approach is important in developing a deeper understanding of these programs and their potential for the future." -- Darin Gordon, President of the National Association of Medicaid Directors (2013-2014) "In this remarkable collection many of our most distinguished analysts of U.S. health politics and policy offer fresh, provocative, and illuminating commentaries on the origins and development of Medicare and Medicaid in the context of the Affordable Care Act. Scholars, students, and citizens have much to learn from this insightful volume." -- Eric M. Patashnik, Director, Center for Health Policy, Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA "This volume, with contributions from the leading practitioners in health policy, does a masterful job of explaining the politics and history of the Medicare and Medicaid programs on the occasion of their fiftieth anniversary. From these perceptive essays, readers learn why Medicare and Medicaid have survived for half a century and why they must figure into any future discussion of health care reform." -- Edward Berkowitz, Professor of History and Public Policy, George Washington University "Fifty years ago, Medicare and Medicaid were enacted to help America meet the moral test of caring for its most vulnerable citizens-the children, the elderly, the sick, the needy, and the disabled. This volume of essays explores whether or not Medicare and Medicaid today remain true to that vision. Written for a general audience, this book is a 'must read' for policymakers and private citizens alike." -- Donald Berwick, former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (2010-2011) "Health-care policy is as difficult to master as it is vital to the country's future; there is no better place for politicians and students to begin their education on the subject than this judiciously assembled, thoughtfully edited, and lucidly written collection." -- Foreign Affairs "Both serious and casual students of health care policy and medical organization will find this book worthwhile and eminently readable." -the American Library Association

For fifty years, Medicare and Medicaid have stood at the center of a contentious debate surrounding American government, citizenship, and health care entitlement. In Medicare and Medicaid at 50, leading scholars in politics, government, economics, health policy, and history offer a comprehensive assessment of the evolution of these programs and their impact on society ― from their origins in the Great Society era to the current battles over the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").

These highly accessible essays examine Medicare and Medicaid from their origins as programs for the elderly and poor to their later role as a safety net for the middle class. Along the way, they have served as touchstones for heated debates about economics, social welfare, and the role of government.

Medicare and Medicaid at 50 addresses key questions for understanding the past and future of health policy in America, including:

DT What were the origins for these initiatives, and how were they transformed over time?
DT What marks have Medicare and Medicaid left on society?
DT In what ways have these programs produced innovation, even in eras of retrenchment?
DT How did Medicaid, once regarded as a poor person's program, expand its benefits and coverage over the decades to become the platform for the ACA's future expansion?

The volume's contributors go on to examine the powerful role of courts in these transformations, along with the shifting roles of Congress, public opinion, and state governors in the programs' ongoing evolution.

From Lyndon Johnson to Barack Obama on the left, and from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush on the right, American political leaders have tied their political fortunes to the fate of America's entitlement programs; Medicare and Medicaid at 50 helps explain why, and how those ongoing debates are likely to shape the future of the Affordable Care Act.