Edited by Robert Reischauer, one of the nation's most noted budget experts, this highly accessible book covers such critical issues as economic growth, how to reduce domestic discretionary spending, how to restructure Medicare, how much to lower the safety net, how to reshape national security for t

In this cross-cutting analysis, some of the nation's most prominent social insurance experts go beyond recent budget debates to examine the fundamental and technical choices Medicare poses for the American people in the next century. The book begins with a consideration of the underlying social contract between Medicare's beneficiaries and workers. Pointing out that Medicare historically has had particular significance for civil rights and women's economic security in addition to providing health security, the authors debate the appropriate social contract for the future. The book also lays...

For the first time in 29 years, the US federal budget is in surplus and the need to reduce the deficit is not casting a pall over the policy debate. This new, highly accessible book examines the policy options that are available in this new environment to address the new and recurring challenges that face the nation. The book, which continues Brookings' acclaimed and influential Setting National Priorities series, will serve as a guide for understanding many of the complex issues that will be discussed during the presidential and congressional campaigns of 2000. Edited by Robert Reischauer...