May 1, 2008 8:30AM 

# Can Congress Control Medical Spending? 

By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) 

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At a recent health policy [forum](http://www.kaisernetwork.org/health_cast/hcast_index.cfm?display=detail&hc=2576) in Washington, D.C., noted health economist and wit [Uwe Reinhardt](http://wws.princeton.edu/people/display_person.xml?netid=reinhard&display=Core) shed some light on that question:

> \[T\]he following can be said: the United States Congress has absolutely no interest in reducing … dubious Medicare expenditures. Let me repeat that. The United States Congress has no interest whatsoever in reducing dubious Medicare expenditures …
> 
> 
> So the interesting and intriguing question for all, for journalists too, \[is\]: why is the Congress so disinterested in cost containment when it constantly whines about having to restructure Medicare? That is to me a huge mystery.

Obviously, Prof. Reinhardt hasn’t read [this](https://www.cato.org/pubs/papers/cannon_p4p.pdf).

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care), [Regulation](https://www.cato.org/regulatory-studies), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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