ABSTRACT
The political realities of the current era, however, are reflected in the attention to such issues as cost containment, discussing how it can be managed to minimize the negative impact. The increasing skepticism over the intensity of the needs of the elderly, the growing absolute and real costs of aged programs, and mounting competition over dwindling social welfare dollars will present a tremendous challenge to public policy advocates for the elderly in the years ahead. Since these broader social problems are the primary reasons that programs benefiting the elderly have dramatically risen in cost, it seems illogical that the proposed reforms focus on the beneficiaries rather than on the broader structural flaws. When Medicare and Medicaid were enacted in the 1960s, and mandatory cost-of-living adjustments were added to the 1972 Social Security Amendments, policymakers and politicians alike were narrowly addressing issues of equity and access.
