This episode's headline: Prime Cuts; Power Politics. The guests include DR. DAVID HIMMELSTEIN, Harvard Medical School; KEN THORPE, Health and Human Services; MICHAEL BROMBERG, Federal of American Health Systems; JUDITH BELL, Consumer Advocate; CORRESPONDENTS: MARGARET WARNER; PAUL SOLMAN; PAUL MARTIN. Byline: In New York: ROBERT MacNeil; In Washington: JAMES LEHRER