For all of the emotional uproar generated by and among both sides in the reform debate over the past year, Americans — according to a recent report — like familiarity, as least as it applies to the largest publicly funded health insurance program. According to the white paper [PDF], the majority of Americans want Medicare “maintained” — even if it meant raising taxes to offset the burgeoning national debt.

In a day-long “Choice-Dialogues” in which Americans from all walks of life considered the pros and cons of a range of choices for reforming Medicare, common ground was found in several key areas.

Those areas of concern? Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices; encouraging hospice care as opposed to futile end-of-life-measures; emphasizing personal care/preventive care; and gradually increasing the eligibility age for the entitlement, from 65 to 67. Good responses. Good enough for policymakers and the public to be schooled on an issue already 40+ years in the making, and good enough as a yardstick against which one can measure the true impact of reform made by the Obama administration over the next decade. | LINK

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