Research Paper on:
Medicare + Program, Two Viewpoints

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
(BBA) of 1997 assess the intentions, effectiveness and future prospects of the controversial program originally considered as risk-contracting. "As Good as it Gets? The Future of Medicare + Choice" (2002)  by Nancy-Ann DeParle discusses the program from its original creation through to its current assessment in 2002. DeParles article is the most interesting because of the insider information DeParle can  provide in regards to the political process as she was the Head of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) which was involved administratively from the onset. DeParle offers reasons for  the initial intentions of the program, some of the major causes as to why the program has not lived up to expectation and lastly, what hopes and options there are  for the program in the future. The second article "Medicare + Choice: Current Role and Near-Term Prospects" (2002) by Kenneth E. Thorpe and Adam Atherly, almost takes over where the  DeParle article leaves off. Thorpe and Atherly do not necessarily cover the details as to the background of the program but more so the current state of the program and  possible solutions for the future or maintenance of the program. The Thorpe and Atherly article provides a much more comprehensive statistical review of the current program and enrollment in addition  to the expected results of any options in regards to the future of the program. DeParle (2002) introduces the readers to the introduction of the Medicare + Choice program through  the BBA in 1997 at the time when "some 6 million beneficiaries - approximately 15 percent of the total Medicare population - were enrolled in managed care plans, and everyone,  including the industry, expected the number to grow significantly" (p. 496). In the onset of the program, Democrats, Republicans, and the health care industry were optimistic about the program as