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Vast Majority of Children Would Be As Well Off or Better Off Under House Health Bill Than Under Current Law
Revised December 24, 2009
An examination of how the almost 79 million children under age 19 would fare under the House-passed health reform bill shows that the overwhelming majority likely would either see no change or be better off than under current law, with tens of millions better off. Some have criticized the bill out of the belief that its phaseout of the Children’s Health … -
Podcast: Update on the Recovery Act
December 22, 2009
Two key provisions in the Recovery Act – unemployment insurance and COBRA – and suggestions for Congress are discussed by Chief Economist, Chad Stone.
Duration: 5:04
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Loss of Medicare Buy-In Not the Major Setback Some Assume
December 18, 2009
A recent proposal to allow people aged 55 to 64 to “buy in” to Medicare would have done relatively little to increase competition in the market for health insurance, and health reformers should not greatly mourn its removal from the legislation that the Senate is considering. In the absence of a robust public health insurance plan, … -
Senate Should Reject Proposed “Cap on Excess Medical Inflation,” Retain Its Excise Tax on High-Cost Insurance Plans
December 10, 2009
The Senate may consider an amendment to its pending health care bill that would replace its excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans – a key proposal to slow the growth in health care costs – with a “cap on excess medical inflation.” Such a policy change would be ill-advised — the proposed medical inflation cap … -
A Foundation for Health Reform: Findings of a 50 State Survey of Eligibility Rules, Enrollment and Renewal Procedures, and Cost- Sharing Practices in Medicaid and CHIP for Children and Parents During 2009
December 8, 2009
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Podcast: Disproving Claims That Medicare Cuts Don’t Stick
December 4, 2009
James Horney and Paul Van de Water, former senior CBO officials now at the Center, discuss their new analysis, which finds that recent claims that the House and Senate health bills are not really paid for — because the track record shows that Congress will never allow the bills’ Medicare savings to take effect — are belied by the historical record. MIT health economist Jonathan Gruber assesses measures in the bills to restrain health care costs.
Duration: 26:10
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Press Release: Congress Has Allowed Most Previous Medicare Cuts to Take Effect, New Study Shows
December 4, 2009
Despite claims that the pending health reform bills aren’t really paid for because Congress never lets Medicare savings take effect, Congress has allowed the vast majority of Medicare cuts that it enacted in the past two decades to take effect and produce significant savings, a new study shows. The analysis, by James Horney and Paul Van de Water, … -
House-Passed and Senate Health Bills Reduce Deficit, Slow Health Care Costs, and Include Realistic Medicare Savings
December 4, 2009
Health reform legislation that has passed the House in one form and is before the Senate in another is facing a series of attacks that, taken together, suggest the legislation would do little to control health care costs and would increase budget deficits. Many of these charges are exaggerated or simply … -
House Health Bill’s High-Income Surcharge is Sound and Well Targeted
Updated November 23, 2009
A 5.4 percent surcharge on couples with incomes over $1 million, a key financing feature of the House health reform bill, is sound and well targeted. It would affect just a fraction of 1 percent of taxpayers, a group whose incomes have soared and tax burdens have fallen in recent years, and would have only a modest impact on small businesses. … -
House Health Reform Bill Expands Coverage and Lowers Health Cost Growth, While Reducing Deficits
Updated November 23, 2009
The comprehensive health reform legislation that House Democratic leaders unveiled on October 29 would make significant progress in three critical areas: expanding health coverage and ensuring that such coverage is affordable, slowing the growth in health care costs, and instituting essential reforms in the health insurance market. Moreover, the … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on the New Senate Health Reform Bill
November 19, 2009
The new Senate health bill marks a major step toward comprehensive, fiscally responsible health reform. It would extend health insurance coverage to 31 million Americans who lack it, reduce the budget deficit, and put long-term downward pressure on health care costs. The bill would reduce deficits by an estimated $130 billion over the 2010-2019 period and by … -
Changes in Senate Health Bill Make Coverage More Affordable for Millions of Moderate-Income Families, Although not for Those on Low End of Subsidy Scale
November 19, 2009
Executive Summary The health reform bill that Senate leaders unveiled on November 18 makes health coverage more affordable for millions of households of modest means, as compared to the bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved last month. The amounts that many families and individuals would pay for coverage would be less than under the … -
Senate Health Reform Bill Is Fiscally Responsible
November 19, 2009
The health reform bill that Senate leaders unveiled yesterday meets two rigorous fiscal tests: it reduces deficits over the next decade and beyond, and it puts long-term downward pressure on health care costs. The bill would reduce deficits by an estimated $130 billion over the 2010-2019 period and by about one-quarter of one percent of GDP in the decade … -
Senate Health Bill Improves Employer Responsibility Provision
November 19, 2009
The “employer responsibility” provisions of the health reform bill that Senate leaders unveiled yesterday reflect notable progress in lessening the disincentives that the Senate Finance Committee health bill would have created for employers to hire workers from low- or moderate-income families. Significant disincentives to hire or retain … -
Podcast: Understanding the House Health Reform Bill
November 17, 2009
The House health reform bill and the next steps for Congress in moving forward with reform are discussed by Senior Fellow, Judy Solomon.
Duration: 4:46
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Increasing Medicare Tax on High-Wage Earners Could Help Pay for Health Reform and Strengthen Medicare’s Finances
November 13, 2009
Increasing the Medicare payroll tax on high-wage earners would represent a sound and well-targeted way of paying for health reform. It would also improve the solvency of Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund and thereby strengthen this critical program, which provides health coverage for 46 million seniors and persons with disabilities. … -
Video: Fox Business Network Interviews Chuck Marr on the Cost of Health Reform
November 12, 2009
Duration: 5:00
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Excise Tax on Very High-Cost Health Plans Is a Sound Element of Health Reform
Revised November 10, 2009
An excise tax on very high-cost health plans, which the Senate Finance Committee included in its health reform bill, represents a sound way to help pay for health reform. The excise tax finances nearly a quarter of the costs of the Finance Committee bill over the first ten years ($201 billion out of $829 billion) and makes a major contribution to the … -
House Health Bill Would Expand, Strengthen Coverage for Children and Families
November 6, 2009
The health reform bill that House Democratic leaders introduced on October 29 (H.R. 3962) would provide affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage to 36 million Americans who otherwise would be uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office. [1] This is 7 million more otherwise-uninsured people than CBO estimates would gain coverage under … -
House Health Reform Bill Would Help Ensure Affordable, Quality Coverage for Older Adults Aged 55-64
Updated November 2, 2009
The House health reform bill (H.R. 3962)[1] unveiled last week would reduce the ranks of the uninsured by 36 million by 2019 as compared to under current law, the Congressional Budget Office says, meaning that 96 percent of the non-elderly population would have health insurance.[2] One particularly vulnerable subset of the … -
House Health Reform Bill Would Strengthen Medicare
Updated November 2, 2009
The comprehensive health reform bill (H.R. 3962)[1] unveiled by House Democratic leaders on October 29 includes a number of significant changes to the Medicare program that would enhance benefits and improve the quality of care, as well as shore up the program’s finances.[2] Much of the discussion of Medicare in the health reform debate has focused, however, on various proposals … -
Podcast: Understanding the Senate Finance Committee's Health Reform Bill
October 27, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee’s health reform plan is discussed by Senior Fellow, Judy Solomon.
Duration: 4:06
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Video: Bob Greenstein Discusses Controlling Costs in Senate Health Reform Bill on PBS’ Nightly Business Report
October 27, 2009
Duration: 2:22
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Video: Judith Solomon Discusses Affordability, Individual and Employee Mandates in Health Reform on Fox Business News
October 26, 2009
Duration: 6:07
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Finance Committee Makes Flawed Employer Requirement in Health Reform Bill Still More Problematic
Revised October 21, 2009
The health reform bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved this week, while a major step forward as a whole, contains a requirement that could inhibit the hiring of individuals from low-income families and would place cumbersome burdens on employers. The provision would require employers who do not offer health coverage to pay substantial … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on the Senate Finance Committee’s Health Reform Plan
October 13, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee’s approval of an ambitious health reform plan marks a major step toward enactment of legislation to extend health care to tens of millions of people who lack it, strengthen insurance protections for millions more who are underinsured or face exorbitant charges, and begin to address the nation’s most serious … -
Finance Committee Health Reform Bill Makes Improvements, But Still Falls Short of What Is Needed for Many People to Afford Health Care
October 13, 2009
The health reform bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved today includes significant improvements, compared to the original chairman’s mark, in making health care coverage affordable to low- and moderate-income households. It could, however, still leave many such households facing fairly steep insurance premiums and cost-sharing … -
What Level of Coverage Will Health Reform Likely Provide? The Basics of Actuarial Value
October 13, 2009
Each of the major health reform proposals Congress is considering sets standards for the coverage that the insurance plans offered through new health insurance exchanges would provide. To measure whether an insurance plan meets these standards, the bills rely on the use of “actuarial value.” This analysis explains the concept of actuarial … -
Coalition Makes Flawed Arguments Against Proposal to Help Finance Health Reform by Maintaining Current Value of Itemized Deductions for Wealthy Households
Revised October 13, 2009
A coalition consisting of several trade associations for foundations and some nonprofit organizations along with a number of large charities has raised objections to a proposal that would help finance improved health coverage for low- and moderate-income people by maintaining the value of itemized deductions for wealthy Americans at its current … -
Senate Finance Committee Health Reform Bill Is Fiscally Responsible
Revised October 13, 2009
A fundamental principle of the bill that the Senate Finance Committee approved today is that it is budget neutral — that is, its costs are fully offset. It pays for the costs of expanding health coverage to the uninsured by redirecting spending and tax subsidies from less productive uses elsewhere in the health sector. Several of the offsets are … -
Tax Offsets in Baucus Health Plan Are Sound But Can Be Improved
September 18, 2009
The health reform proposal by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus would place a 35-percent excise tax on the value of health plans in excess of $8,000 for singles and $21,000 for families, starting in 2013; these thresholds would be indexed for inflation in later years. The excise tax is a sound way to help pay for health reform, but it … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein, Executive Director, on Chairman Baucus’ Health Reform Plan
September 16, 2009
Senator Baucus’ plan is a major contribution to the health care debate, as it would extend coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and improve insurance for millions of Americans who already have coverage — through reforms that deal with matters such as pre-existing conditions — and do so while fully offsetting the costs, … -
Podcast: The Budget Reconciliation Process
September 15, 2009
The budget reconciliation process in Congress is explained by Director of Federal Fiscal Policy, Jim Horney.
Duration: 4:43
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Ending Medicare Advantage Overpayments Would Strengthen Medicare
September 14, 2009
One of the key cost-saving provisions Congress is considering as part of health reform legislation would eliminate the large overpayments Medicare makes to the private “Medicare Advantage” health plans that serve some Medicare beneficiaries. While private plans ostensibly were brought into Medicare to reduce costs, they … -
“Upcoding” Problem Exacerbates Overpayments to Medicare Advantage Plans
Revised September 14, 2009
Private plans were brought into Medicare on the theory that they could deliver Medicare services at lower cost. However, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) — Congress’s expert advisory body on Medicare payment policy — has found that Medicare pays private plans 14 percent more than it costs to … -
Poverty Rose, Median Income Declined, and Job-Based Health Insurance Continued to Weaken in 2008
September 10, 2009
Poverty increased, median household income fell, and the percentage of Americans with employer-based health coverage continued to decline in 2008, according to Census data for 2008 issued today. The figures reflect the initial effects of the recession. Median household income declined 3.6 percent in 2008 after adjusting for … -
Private Health Coverage Declined, Became Less Secure in 2008
September 10, 2009
The Census Bureau reported today that 46.3 million U.S. residents lacked health insurance in 2008, an increase of 632,000 over the previous year. [1] Nearly 6.6 million more people were uninsured in 2008 than in 2001, when the previous recession hit bottom. The proportion of the population without health insurance climbed to … -
Statement: Greenstein on Census’ 2008 Health Insurance and Poverty Data
September 10, 2009
Today’s grim Census Bureau report shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report stand out. The number of people living in poverty jumped by 2.6 million to 39.8 million — the highest since 1960. The poverty rate … -
Podcast: Examining the New 2008 Census Data on Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Coverage
September 10, 2009
Robert Greenstein discusses today’s grim Census Bureau report that shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report are highlighted.
Duration: 11:59
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Podcast: High-Income Surcharge Can Help Pay for Health Reform
August 25, 2009
Chuck Marr, director of federal tax policy, discusses the need for health reform and one option to help pay for it: a surcharge on high-income households under consideration by the House of Representatives.
Duration: 4:43
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An Excise Tax on Insurers Offering High-Cost Plans Can Help Pay for Health Reform
August 7, 2009
The federal government provides substantial tax subsidies for health insurance, especially for high-cost insurance plans for people with high incomes. The Senate Finance Committee is considering placing an excise tax on insurance companies that offer very high-cost health insurance plans. This proposal would help achieve two important objectives: … -
Podcast: Health Reform — Examining the Flaws of the Proposed “Free Rider” Employer Requirement Provision
August 5, 2009
This podcast discusses an employer mandate proposal known as “free rider” that the Senate Finance Committee negotiators have agreed to include in their forthcoming health reform legislation. It also discusses alternative, better-designed approaches to an employer responsibility requirement, which is a necessary component of health care reform.
Duration: 21:45
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House Health Bill’s High-Income Surcharge: A Reasonable Approach
Revised July 30, 2009
Reforming the health care system to provide universal health coverage is an urgent priority. But, facing huge projected budget deficits that have the nation on an unsustainable fiscal path, the White House and Congress must enact a health reform plan that is also fully financed and that reduces the growth rate of health care … -
Allowing Multiple Insurance Exchanges in a Single Area Would Make It Harder to Obtain Affordable, Good-Quality Coverage
July 8, 2009
The new insurance exchanges that policymakers are contemplating as part of national health reform could greatly improve people’s access to affordable, decent-quality health insurance, reduce insurers’ ability to “cherry pick” healthy enrollees, and help reduce administrative costs within the health insurance market. But allowing … -
Senate Finance Committee Faces Difficult Choices In Lowering Cost of Health Bill
July 1, 2009
The Senate Finance Committee is seeking to reduce the cost of its health reform bill to approximately $1 trillion over ten years. It faces difficult choices in doing so. Among the modifications it is considering are changes in the subsidies intended to enable low- and moderate-income families and individuals to afford insurance. … -
Some Media Reports Mischaracterize CBO Estimate of Senate “HELP” Health Reform Bill
June 16, 2009
The news media are widely reporting that, according to a partial and preliminary Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis, health reform legislation that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) is developing would cut the number of uninsured by only 16 … -
Reducing Medicaid and Medicare Drug Costs Could Help Pay For Health Reform
June 11, 2009
By lowering the costs that Medicaid and Medicare pay for prescription drugs, Congress could generate substantial savings to help pay for comprehensive health reform that achieves universal coverage. Prescription drugs are critical to providing effective health care; for many people, they are important to maintaining health and preventing … -
Curbing Flexible Spending Accounts Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform
Revised June 10, 2009
Congress should consider scaling back or eliminating health care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) [1] as part of its effort to pay for health care reform. This paper, which is part of a series of papers on proposals to help pay for health reform, outlines several ways in which Congress could curtail FSAs. FSAs are designed to allow employees to pay … -
Maintaining Current Value of Itemized Deductions For High-Income Taxpayers Could Help Pay For Health Care Reform
June 10, 2009
If Congress rejects the President’s proposal to help pay for health care reform by limiting the value of itemized deductions for high-income filers, it should at least prevent those subsidies from expanding in 2011, as they would under current law. Simply keeping the value of itemized deductions for filers in the top two brackets at … -
Limiting the Tax Exclusion for Employer-Sponsored Insurance Can Help Pay for Health Reform
Revised June 4, 2009
Limiting the tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance could provide significant revenues for health reform without eroding employer-sponsored insurance or causing other undesirable side effects — if the cap and the rest of the health reform legislation are well designed and contain several key features that past proposals have lacked. …
