Abstract
Recently, social and economic problems have come to the attention of many Americans. Of great concern have become such topics as, Head Start, War-On-Poverty, Urban Renewal, the Jobs Corps, to mention a few. One such program is Medicare, and my purpose is to discuss general aspects of the Medicare Program and to answer the following questions specifically: | 1. What is Medicare intended to do? | 2. How does the Medicare system work? | 3. What are some notable socio-economic effects of Medicare? | 4. What are some possible outlooks for Medicare in the future? | 5. How well has Medicare theory been applied to the practical situation? | The total Medicare system of rules, formalities, social implications, congressional juggling, and economic allocation, presents a challenge of great concern to our political leaders of today. As our government becomes more involved in social problems, planning and organizing become a necessary governmental function. A program of the magnitude of Medicare, (affecting 20 million of our older citizens) is an ambitious task for any political unit.