The Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare—What Does It Mean for Medicare?
Authors: Gail R. Wilensky
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)

Editorials18 February 2003The Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare—What Does It Mean for Medicare?Gail R. Wilensky, PhDGail R. Wilensky, PhDFrom Project HOPE; Bethesda, MD 20814Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-138-4-200302180-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The recognition that Medicare spends substantially different amounts of money on seniors in different regions of the United States is neither a new issue nor an unknown issue. The ability to devise appropriate policy responses to these so-called geographic variations in spending has been another matter.What's the Problem?Geographic variations in spending are associated with two different problems for Medicare. First, these variations cause payments for managed care plans to differ substantially across the United States. The resulting perceived inequities resulted in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, legislation that has had its own undesirable consequences. Second, the pressure ...References1. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder L. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 1: The content, quality, and accessibility of care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:273-87. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Fisher ES, Wennberg DE, Stukel TA, Gottlieb DJ, Lucas FL, Pinder L. The implications of regional variations in Medicare spending. Part 2: Health outcomes and satisfaction with care. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:288-98. LinkGoogle Scholar3. Phelps CE. What's enough, what's too much? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:348-9. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Report to Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. Washington, DC: Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; March 2001:115. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Gail R. Wilensky, PhDAffiliations: From Project HOPE; Bethesda, MD 20814Corresponding Author: Gail R. Wilensky, PhD, Project HOPE, Suite 600, 7500 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-6133. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare Spending. Part 1: The Content, Quality, and Accessibility of Care Elliott S. Fisher , David E. Wennberg , Thrse A. Stukel , Daniel J. Gottlieb , F. L. Lucas , and Étoile L. Pinder The Implications of Regional Variations in Medicare Spending. Part 2: Health Outcomes and Satisfaction with Care Elliott S. Fisher , David E. Wennberg , Thrse A. Stukel , Daniel J. Gottlieb , F. L. Lucas , and Étoile L. Pinder Geographical Variations in Medicare Spending Kenneth I. Shine What's Enough, What's Too Much? Charles E. Phelps Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Howard A. Levin Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Hyman Gaylis Implications of Regional Differences in Spending Franklin Gaylis Metrics Cited byExact and approximate probability distributions of evidence-based bundle composite compliance measuresPerformance of composite versus all-or-none compliance statistics for medical evidence-based core measure setsHealth Care System Chaos Should Spur Innovation: Summary of a Report of the Society of General Internal Medicine Task Force on the Domain of General Internal MedicineEric B. Larson, MD, MPH, and the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM) Task Force on the Domain of General Internal Medicine*Implications of Regional Differences in SpendingHoward A. Levin, MDImplications of Regional Differences in SpendingHyman Gaylis, MD, FRCSImplications of Regional Differences in SpendingFranklin Gaylis, MDThe future of general internal medicine 18 February 2003Volume 138, Issue 4Page: 350-351KeywordsGeographic areasHealth careHealth maintenance organizationsLegislationMedical conditionsMedical servicesMedicareMotivationQuality of lifeSafety ePublished: 18 February 2003 Issue Published: 18 February 2003 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2003 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...