More problems than solutions in Medicare report

Expanding access to Medicare will not solve the nation's healthcare cost problem, according to a report by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which advises Congress on the federal medical program for older Americans. To eliminate wasteful spending, policymakers must transform economic incentives for doctors, hospitals and other providers of medical services, according to the report. To illustrate what it might take to save Medicare, the commission described how primary-care doctors, specialists, and hospitals could be reorganized into "accountable care organizations" whose members would receive bonuses if the organizations met quality and cost targets.