Traditionally, medical care has been understood to function under a professional paradigm; medical decisions are considered purely scientific under a standard of “medical necessity.” Medicare and Medicaid were based on this model, where economic considerations have little sway. Over time, an alternative model, an economic paradigm, has gained traction.
The interplay of economics and program design and structure in healthcare programs, culminating in the recent Medicaid waiver for Tennessee, formed the centerpiece of the Ann F. Baum Memorial Elder Law Lecture, delivered at the University of Illinois Law School on March 10 by James F. Blumstein, University Professor of Constitutional Health Law and Policy.
