Long-term care is a real concern facing America today. Individuals live longer and are facing more chronic illnesses requiring constant care. Yet untrained and unpaid family members provide most long-term care for their loved ones. A recent article published Reuters revealed that four out of ten adults are caring for an elderly family member. It … Continue reading
Tag Archives: Medicare
Obamacare’s Effect on Entrepreneurship and Employment
The implications of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for small businesses and employment status have long been the subject of media and partisan scrutiny. Analyses of these implications are becoming increasingly relevant, as the measures of the ACA will be fully implemented by January 2014. The shortcomings of the pre-Obamacare health insurance market are well … Continue reading
Can Social Security Be Reformed To Improve Work Incentives?
It is no secret that large entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare have been putting a huge strain on our nation’s finances. Mandatory spending continues to grow and takeup larger portions of the budget, particularly two of the largest offenders – Social Security and Medicare. In the past, entitlement programs were treated as sacred … Continue reading
Social Security: A Little Reform Today Might Solve a Big Problem Tomorrow
The CBO’s budget and economic outlook, released last week, looks bleak. And one of the drivers of future budget shortfalls? Social Security. During the Feb. 13th house budget hearing on CBO’s outlook, Rep. John Campbell (CA) asked Doug Elmendorf – CBO Director – if we were in a pickle with regards to the U.S. budget. … Continue reading
Healthcare in Obama’s Second Inaugural Address
By Ji Lee On Monday January 21, 2013, President Barack Obama delivered his second inaugural speech at the United States Capitol building. Having viewed the inauguration, there are a few components related to the future of healthcare that I would like to highlight. President Obama mentioned that “Together we discovered that a free market only … Continue reading
Growing Costs at the End of Life
This week, the Bipartisan Policy Center published, “What is Driving U.S. Health Care Spending,” a report that details the main drivers of health care cost growth. This paper is part of BPC’s Health Care Cost Containment Initiative, which Senator Bill Frist heads alongside Democrat Senator Tom Daschle. The program is taking a close look at … Continue reading
DNC 2012: The “Things You Shouldn’t Say Out Loud” Department
Watching the Democratic National Convention, I’ve been struck by one overarching thought: whatever you believe about the issues discussed, many of them are not things that should be said out loud, at least if you’re trying to attract votes. It’s obvious that the Democratic Party has taken this opportunity to speak to their base. The … Continue reading
Occupy entitlements! And the tax code!
By Will Portman The Occupy movement has brought income inequality to the forefront of the national political discussion over the past year, even if both the movement and the issue have faded in recent months. Occupy protestors are concerned about the growing wealth gap in the U.S., pointing to studies like the recent Congressional Budget Office … Continue reading
The Ryan budget vs. the Obama budget
By Will Portman Winston Churchill once said, “Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing… after they have exhausted all other possibilities.” House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) cited the late British Prime Minister’s famous quote this week as he unveiled The Path to Prosperity, his budget for fiscal year 2013, arguing … Continue reading