“Fear of a voter backlash is likely to slow some of these tax-raising or cost-reducing changes until crisis signals are so urgent that these decisions can no longer be postponed.”

The above comes from an editorial opinion entitled “The Public’s Views about Medicare and the Budget Deficit” in the New England Journal of Medicine. The author suggests that despite the popularity of Medicare, we may not be able to sustain it. The article centers on the economic reality and suggests four reasons for this impasse.

1. Medicare remains very popular with the public and its beneficiaries 46 years after its enactment.
2. Medicare is a popular program; most Americans don’t want to see it changed substantially.
3. While most Americans believe that the federal budget deficit is a “very serious” problem, a majority think it is possible for the federal government to balance the budget without cutting Medicare spending.
4. Public opinion is particularly important if it affects the outcome of elections.

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