oll in the program. The money from the budget surplus would be used primarily for out-of-pocket expenditures, such as prescription drug costs, as wells as to finance hospitals and medical technology. The government would benefit because of a stable national health-insurance plan, and due to a rapidly increasing budget surplus which figures to increase well over $5 trillion over the next ten years. This allows the government to take care of other major problems areas such as education, crime, and the armed forces. Although there are other alternatives such as switching to a more centralized form of medical care or relying on a more private form of medical care, each has several important problems. The time spent on legislation dealing with a public healthcare system, combined with moral aspects of the system make it less appealing. Likewise, added costs and insurance premiums for individuals, and the heavier financial burden on the government make the private system less desirable as well. Based on these facts, the best solution would be to reform the Medicare program through budget surplus financing.Annotated Works Cited"AARP On Medicare Reform." AARP.org 3 March 2000. 21 October 2000*http://www.aarp.org/election2000/medicare.html*. In this article, the AARP(Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons) documents the history ofMedicare, and its success providing healthcare insurance to the elderly. However, the article also points out some of the problems that the program causes; for instance, many of the program's beneficiaries must pay large out-of-pocket expenditures in addition to the monthly premiums they are charged.Bush, George W. "A Defining American Promise." georgewbush.com 15 May 2000.20 October 2000 *http://www.georgewbush.com/News.asp?FormMode=SP&ID=3. Presidential candidate George W. Bush outlines his agenda on the issuesof economic security and medical care for the elderly. If elected, Governor Bush...
