The idea of a public health insurance option is at least a half century old, but has not yet had its day in the limelight. This chapter explains why if that moment ever comes, health care’s public option will fall short of expectations that it will provide a differentiated, meaningful...

Health care costs are an increasingly significant category of expenditures for retirees. Studies have demonstrated that many retirees face a shortfall with respect to these out-of-pocket health care expenses, but there has been little investigation into why. Are retirees unable to save for or...

Even though most American retirees benefit from Medicare coverage, a mounting body of research predicts that many will face large and increasing out-of-pocket expenditures for healthcare costs in retirement and that many already struggle to finance these costs. It is unclear, however, whether...