PAST EVENT
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Washington, DC
President Obama’s State of the Union address was delivered last night to a divided Congress against the backdrop of presidential election year politics. On January 25, Brookings hosted a discussion of the president’s speech and how it might impact crucial policy issues facing the nation in this pivotal election year. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron and Austin B. Frakt, January 25, 2012, New England Journal of Medicine
Henry Aaron and Austin Frakt argue against recent premium support proposals that would fundamentally change Medicare in an attempt to reduce the federal budget deficit. Aaron and Frakt claim that implementation of the Affordable Care Act will do much to lower the nation's health care costs while maintaining stability for Medicare beneficiaries. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Stephen Hess, January 25, 2012, The Brookings Institution
On January 25, Stephen Hess answered your questions on the 2012 State of the Union address in a live web chat moderated by POLITICO. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William G. Gale, January 24, 2012, Christian Science Monitor
William Gale writes that if the United States is going to reduce the medium- and long-term deficit, new tax revenues must be part of the solution. Gale examines the impact that new taxes, including higher income taxes and new consumption taxes, may have on government spending and the economy. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, January 19, 2012
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On January 19, the Brookings Institution launched Campaign 2012, a new project that will identify and address the 12 most critical issues facing the next president. Campaign 2012 will provide recommendations from Brookings experts on the pressing policy challenges facing America in a series of forums over the coming months. Speakers at the first event addressed the nation's struggles with high unemployment and record federal budget deficits. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ron Haskins, January 19, 2012, The Brookings Institution
Ron Haskins argues that the greatest challenge facing the next president is addressing the deficit, and neither President Obama nor any GOP challenger has put forth a useful compromise. Haskins says the next president must negotiate with Congress to reform both entitlement programs and the federal budget process. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Isabel V. Sawhill, January 19, 2012, The Brookings Institution
Isabel Sawhill believes that creating jobs, not reducing deficits, must be the first priority for the next president. She argues that while deficit reduction is crucial, near-term economic stimulus is a better prescription for curing the nation’s economic ills than short-term spending cuts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William G. Gale, January 19, 2012, The Brookings Institution
William Gale writes that any sustainable solution to the nation’s fiscal problems must include revenue increases, despite their political unpopularity. Gale argues that tax reform should make the nation’s tax system more equitable and progressive, and that combining tax increases and spending cuts honors the wishes of the public. Read More
VIDEO
Ron Haskins, December 30, 2011
Ron Haskins says that while automatic budget cuts will do some harm to some anti-poverty programs, the largest and most important programs — including Medicaid and Social Security — have been largely shielded.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, December 30, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Henry Aaron discusses the economics of Medicare, and changes that would improve the program's operations. Aaron examines whether premium support plans are a viable way to control spending, and argues that implementing the Affordable Care Act should be a priority. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alice M. Rivlin, December 27, 2011, The Brookings Institution
As 2011 draws to a close without a deal to bring the federal budget deficit under control, Alice Rivlin examines the lost opportunities of the past year and writes that regardless of the results of the 2012 election, big decisions on entitlements and taxes in the coming year will still require bipartisan compromise. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, December 19, 2011, Defense News
In the current period of austerity, Michael O'Hanlon argues for a new framework in war planning that can save money and also better prepare the military for the conflicts of today. Although the United States military has assumed the need to man for a "two simultaneous major war" scenario since the Cold War, O'Hanlon believes that a "1+2" strategy – where the U.S. may be involved in one major war and two smaller contingencies at the same time – has more benefit. Read More
PAST EVENT
Friday, December 16, 2011
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
There is a growing consensus that the federal deficit cannot be brought under control unless reforms are enacted that slow the growth of Medicare spending. On December 16, the Budgeting for National Priorities project at Brookings and the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force hosted a discussion of the role of premium support in controlling Medicare costs and in making U.S. health care more efficient and effective. At the event, premium support was explained and its strengths and weaknesses analyzed by major speakers and a panel of experts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ron Haskins, Henry J. Aaron, James C. Capretta, Pete Domenici and Alice M. Rivlin, December 16, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Ron Haskins, Henry Aaron, James Capretta, Pete Domenici and Alice Rivlin present a primer to explain premium support, to discuss the best arguments for and against its use to control health care spending in general and Medicare spending in particular, and to outline a premium support plan that is responsive to most of the valid criticisms. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Judy Feder, Paul Van de Water and Henry J. Aaron, December 16, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Judy Feder, Paul Van de Water and Henry Aaron argue against premium support reform plans for Medicare, making claims that Medicare currently works better than typical insurance plans, that current premium support plans are poorly designed, that Medicare can still be adjusted and improved, and that the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to curb health costs is a higher priority. Read More