The question of the financial health of the Medicare program is important to the debate over how the program should change in the future. There are many possible ways of examining Medicare's financial issues, and the choice of which to use is often made on the basis of politics and spin that a particular measure can create. This paper examines different ways to look at Medicare's financial status and the implications each may hold. It offers a number of alternatives and distinguishes between issues of "solvency" and "affordability," offering a broader perspective on the issue of Medicare's future