Books in Brief: Medicare's Midlife Crisis

Posted December 5, 2002
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Medicare's Midlife Crisis by Sue A. Blevins

Sue A. Blevins' new book is to the health policy debate what Thomas Sowell's The Vision of the Anointed is to the social policy debate. The history of Medicare follows a pattern similar to other Progressive initiatives. It was a solution to a problem that did not exist. Contrary to liberal think-tank folklore, Blevins argues that the availability of health care to seniors had been on the rise, long before Medicare was adopted in 1965. In the course of offering a solution to a non-existent crisis, Medicare created a new set of very real problems: skyrocketing costs, invasions of privacy, and interference in the doctor-patient relationship, to name a few.

Blevins paints a bleak picture of Medicare's demographic realities, noting that the Congressional Budget Office "points out that the number of beneficiaries in 2030 will be 90 percent greater than it is today, but the number of workers supporting Medicare will be only about 15 percent greater." The Medicare system is stretched to the limit. Any new additions, such as a prescription drug benefit, will likely push the system past the actuarial breaking point.

The Sisyphean cycle of Medicare-big government solutions creating problems that require big government solutions—can be broken, Blevins argues, by adopting something akin to President Bush's proposed Social Security savings account plan. A worker under such a plan could, upon retirement, purchase health coverage from a private insurer at a cost savings of 50 percent when compared to the current Medicare plan.

The sheer size of the looming Medicare financial crisis will continue to spawn a variety of proposed solutions. Blevins' preferred option is not the first or last word on this matter. But her analysis is indispensable.

Brian P. Janiskee
California State University, San Bernardino

 

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 This article appeared in the Winter 2002 issue of the Claremont Review of Books

About the Authors

Brian Janiskee

Brian P. Janiskee is an Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University, San Bernardino. Dr. Janiskee holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University with fields in American Politics, Public Administration and Policy, and Statistics.

Dr. Janiskee's research interests include state and local government, public policy, presidential elections, and public administration. Along with co-author Ken Masugi, Director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Local Government, Dr. Janiskee has authored an innovative California government text called Democracy in California: Politics and Government in the Golden State (Rowman & Littlefield, 2003). This text uses many ideas raised by Tocqueville to analyze the current workings of California politics.

In addition, Janiskee and Masugi have coedited a collection of timely essays on California politics titled The California Republic: Institutions, Statesmanship, and Policies (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004).

Dr. Janiskee's articles on California's three strikes law, co-authored with Claremont Institute Senior Fellow and colleague at Cal. State, Edward J. Erler, has received national attention. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor relied on Janiskee and Erler's research in her recent majority opinion in Ewing v. California, which upheld California's three strikes law.

Other articles on topics ranging from local government to presidential elections have appeared in such journals as: Perspectives on Political Science; The Journal of Public Service and Outreach; Nexus: A Journal of Opinion; Talking Politics: The Journal of the Politics Association.

Dr. Janiskee's analysis of contemporary trends in local, state, and national politics has appeared in such outlets as the Washington Post, Orange County Register, San Diego-Union-Tribune, Investor's Business Daily, Boston Globe, Baltimore Sun, and USA Today.

As of September 2002, Dr. Janiskee began a four-year term on the National Executive Council of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society, which has over 600 chapters nationwide. The 19-member Executive Council is the governing body of Pi Sigma Alpha. Dr. Janiskee's service on the Executive Council was preceded by his award-winning work as a Chapter Advisor at the local level. In recognition for the excellence of its programs, the Theta Iota Chapter at Cal. State, San Bernardino received the National Best Chapter Award for two consecutive academic years, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. In addition, Dr. Janiskee received the National Best Chapter Advisor Award in 2002.

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