Book dossier

Improving the medicare market

by Marion Ein Lewin, Committee on Choice and Managed Care: Assuring Public Accountability and Information for Informed Purchasing by and on Behalf of Medicare Beneficiaries, Institute of Medicine

Improving the Medicare Market examines how to give Medicare beneficiaries the same choice of health plan options enjoyed in the private sector - yet protect them as consumers and patients. This book recommends approaches to ensuring accountability and informed purchasing for Medicare beneficiaries in an environment of broader choice and managed care. It examines how the government should evaluate and approve plans, what role the traditional Medicare program should play, how to help the elderly understand and fairly compare their options, and how to develop the necessary guidelines regarding enrollment, marketing, and grievance procedures.