RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Aaron McKethan, Nadia Nguyen, Benjamin E. Sasse and S. Lawrence Kocot, August 18, 2009, Health Affairs
Congress is considering redirecting federal spending on the Medicaid disproportionate-share hospital (DSH) program to help pay for health reform. Aaron McKethan, S. Lawrence Kocot and other experts discuss linking Medicaid DSH spending to state-level Medicaid enrollment or uninsured populations, or both, as a way of creating significant federal savings over time without exposing hospitals to uncertain or across-the-board spending cuts. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Washington, DC
On June 2, Christina Romer, chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, joined Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform director Mark McClellan, Harvard economist David Cutler and former Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Holtz-Eakin to discuss the economic case for health care reform and its potential impact on the U.S. economy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
The Fiscal Seminar Group, June 02, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The United States faces a looming fiscal imbalance brought on by an aging population and rising health care costs. Yet, the current political environment discourages our leadership from making the tough choices required to fix our fiscal house. In this paper, a diverse group of budget experts reviews some of the recent history of appointed commissions, and discusses their potential role in long-term federal budgeting policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, May 12, 2009, The Huffington Post
The Obama administration’s breakthrough with the health care industry to cut costs is eerily reminiscent of the 1970s, according to Henry Aaron. Then, as today, health care spending was outpacing income growth and the industry promised to voluntarily to rein in the growth. If we are to learn from history, rather than simply repeat it, he says, there are some simple but vitally important lessons. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, May 09, 2009, The New Republic
Behind closed doors all over Washington, serious people are working hard to design a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system. We should wish them well, but their chances of success are slim, says Henry Aaron. Since yet another complete failure would be catastrophic, some attention should be given now to policies that, he says, are politically palatable and would begin the evolution to a new and better health system. Read More
VIDEO
Alice M. Rivlin, February 27, 2009
In this video, Alice Rivlin says that President Obama's budget calls for taxing the wealthy to help pay for aggressive reform of the nation’s health care system and that the plan also seeks to curtail wasteful Medicare and Medicaid spending while increasing services and efficiency in those programs.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, February 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
That the United States faces daunting long-term budget challenges is indisputable. But the very projections—those of the Congressional Budget Office—cited to document the long-term budget challenge, show that there is no general entitlement problem, says Henry Aaron. Rather, he argues, the nation faces a daunting health care financing problem that bedevils private insurers and public programs alike. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, February 04, 2009, Real Clear Politics
Congress quickly passed the State Children's Health Insurance Program in its opening days, but the Obama administration and congressional leaders want to do far more to extend health insurance coverage and reform the delivery of care. While obstacles that have frustrated prior reform efforts remain powerful, Henry Aaron says that the key for Obama will be to identify specific reforms that will move toward his long-term vision. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
January 27, 2009, The Brookings Institution
A diverse group of experts urged President Obama, in his first budget submission, to strike a judicious balance between America’s short-term and long-term economic needs. While the need to boost spending to stimulate the economy is important, they say these short-term steps must not make it harder to achieve our long-term goals. They note that fundamental reforms of major entitlement programs and the tax system are needed to bring spending and revenues into better balance over the longer-term. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alice M. Rivlin, January 21, 2009, Senate Committee on the Budget
In testimony to the Senate Budget Committee, Alice Rivlin argued that the future health of the nation’s economy depends on whether policy-makers can focus on two imperatives at once: the need to take immediate action to mitigate the impact of the recession; and the need to restore long-term fiscal responsibility and reassure our creditors that we are getting our fiscal house in order. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, January 16, 2009, Health Affairs
Although fundamental reform of U.S. health care is clearly necessary, there are still daunting obstacle: the sheer size of the health sector, the multiplicity of powerful groups with conflicting interests, and the factionalized U.S. political system. But change is in the air and chances for health care reform seem more likely than ever. However, Henry Aaron argues not to overreach and risk failure; instead he says the focus should be on essential and achievable steps that will sustain long-term change. Read More
VIDEO
Isabel V. Sawhill, December 09, 2008
In these tough times, the economy needs a stimulus, regardless of the impact on the deficit, says Isabel Sawhill. But prudent action needs to be taken to address runaway entitlement spending and that agenda should reconsider our intergenerational spending priorities.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, December 04, 2008, kaisernetwork.org
Henry Aaron, Stuart Butler, Alan Weil, and Judy Feder join moderator Larry Levitt of kaisernetwork.org in a Ask the Experts webcast for a discussion of the role of states in a national health reform effort. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Isabel V. Sawhill, Robert L. Bixby and Stuart Butler, November 17, 2008, The Washington Times
“Washington may bail out Wall Street. But who will bail out Washington?” The Fiscal Wake-Up Tour group, Robert Bixby, Stuart Butler and Isabel Sawhill, discusses the importance of fundamentally recasting Medicare versus solely focusing on immediate health care reform. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Henry J. Aaron, October 30, 2008, The New England Journal of Medicine
According to a widely held view, the U.S. health care system is replete with waste, the removal of which can finance health care reform. Unfortunately, what waste really means is poorly understood, and the potential for realizing quick savings is quite limited. Several measures hold out the promise of curbing the growth of health care spending, but savings are likely to be slow in coming says Henry Aaron. Read More