Who should pay for Medicare? /

This little book is a very comprehensive examination of Medicare, the US medical care insurance program for senior citizens and the second largest government program after Social Security. Shaviro (New York Univ. School of Law) writes from a perspective almost exclusively on the revenue side of Medicare (through the public economics lens of who should pay), rather than the typical perspective from the expense side (Medicare costs and who should make cost-incurring decisions about delivery and receipt of services). The book offers an excellent explanation of the complex contours of Medicare: it provides an overview of the key features of Medicare today (with history interwoven); it analyzes Medicare as a fiscal system; it explains Medicare's long-term fiscal gap; and it describes elements necessary for meaningful reform. Only five of its 145 pages are subjective (conclusions, opinions, and predictions), and they are clearly labeled as such. The writing style, in general, is a worthy attempt to reduce requisite economic technicalities to understandable prose through the use of metaphors applied consistently throughout the book. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above. W. E. Foegelle Western Carolina University