Health Reform Archive
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Off the Charts Blog: In Case You Missed It...
May 17, 2013
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Paul Van de Water Testimony: Health Reform’s Health Insurance Tax
May 9, 2013
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Hahn, and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will extend health insurance coverage to 27 million people and help assure that Americans have access to affordable coverage. And it will do so in a fiscally responsible way. In … -
Medicaid Per Capita Cap Would Shift Costs to States and Undermine Key Part of Health Reform
May 8, 2013
Two prominent congressional Republicans have proposed placing a “per capita cap” on federal Medicaid funding, under which the federal government would no longer cover a fixed share of each state’s overall Medicaid costs but instead would limit each state to a fixed dollar amount per beneficiary.[1] The per capita cap … -
Obama Proposal to Limit Tax Breaks for High-Income Households Would Reduce Total Charitable Contributions By a Modest 1.6 to 3.0 Percent
Revised April 30, 2013
The President’s fiscal year 2014 budget includes a proposal from previous Obama budgets to limit the tax subsidies that affluent Americans take for deductible expenses and some other tax expenditures. After the President made this proposal in previous budgets, some critics contended it would lead to substantial reductions in … -
President Obama’s Deficit-Reduction Package and Other Proposals in the 2014 Budget
April 11, 2013
The President’s 2014 budget is presented in two parts. One part includes the package of deficit- reduction policies that the President included in his last offer to Speaker Boehner during the “fiscal cliff” negotiations in December 2012. This package would reduce the deficit by $1.8 trillion over the next decade … -
Making Health Care More Affordable: The New Premium and Cost-Sharing Assistance
Updated April 3, 2013
Under the new health reform law, people of modest means will get help paying for health insurance premiums and “cost-sharing” expenses — costs that people with insurance have to pay out-of-pocket like co-payments for doctor visits and hospital care — beginning in 2014. This help will come in the form of … -
Ryan Block Grant Proposal Would Cut Medicaid by Nearly One-Third by 2023 and More After That
March 26, 2013
The Medicaid block grant proposal in the budget plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, which the House of Representatives passed on March 21, would cut federal Medicaid (and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP) funding by 31 percent by 2023, because the funding would no longer keep pace with health … -
Statement by Robert Greenstein, President, On Unifying the District of Columbia’s Health Insurance Marketplace
March 19, 2013
“The DC Health Benefits Exchange Board’s recent decision to move to a unified health insurance market over the next two years will make it easier for small businesses to give their employees quality, affordable health insurance. “Starting in 2014, under the Affordable Care … -
Paul Van de Water Testimony: Financing Medicare and Medicaid
March 19, 2013
Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Pallone, and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today on the importance of preserving Medicare and Medicaid. Budgetary entitlements of many kinds are designed to guarantee Americans adequate protection in case of illness, disability, or economic misfortune. Efforts … -
Chairman Ryan Gets 66 Percent of His Budget Cuts from Programs for People With Low or Moderate Incomes
March 15, 2013
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget plan would get at least 66 percent of its $5 trillion in non-defense budget cuts over ten years (relative to a continuation of current policies) from programs that serve people of limited means, standing a core principle of the Simpson-Bowles fiscal commission on its head. Not much … -
Excise Tax on Medical Devices Should Not Be Repealed
Updated March 11, 2013
Bills introduced in the House (H.R. 523) and Senate (S. 232) would repeal the 2.3-percent excise tax on medical devices that policymakers enacted in 2010 to help pay for health reform. The provision is sound, however, and the arguments against the tax don’t withstand scrutiny. The tax does not single out the medical … -
Paul Van de Water Testimony: Health Reform’s Tax Provisions Are Sound Health and Tax Policy
March 5, 2013
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lewis, and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will extend health insurance coverage to 27 million people and help assure that Americans have access to affordable coverage. And it will do so in a fiscally responsible way. In … -
Testimony of Robert Greenstein, President, Before Senate Budget Committee
February 13, 2013
I appreciate the invitation to testify today on the impact of federal budget decisions on families and communities. This is an important matter. As you know, the nation will have to make tough decisions to put the budget on a more sustainable fiscal course. The issue is not only whether policymakers act to secure adequate … -
State Policy Decisions in Exchange Implementation
Updated February 12, 2013
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) establishes a health insurance exchange in every state. Exchanges are new competitive marketplaces offering an array of comprehensive health insurance plans for eligible small businesses and individuals, some of whom may qualify for federal tax credits to help cover the cost of coverage. Each exchange will be operated either by the state as a … -
Coordinating Human Services Programs with Health Reform Implementation
Updated December 11, 2012
Executive Summary By making affordable health care available to millions of low-income, uninsured Americans, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will go a long way towards helping families who struggle on a daily basis to afford life’s most basic necessities. Health care reform’s impact on low-income people’s lives, however, goes beyond … -
Non-Defense Discretionary Programs Will Face Serious Pressures Under Current Funding Caps
Revised December 6, 2012
President Obama and Congress achieved $1.5 trillion in discretionary program cuts over the next ten years primarily by setting tight caps on annual discretionary funding in the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011.[1] Congress adhered to those caps in 2012 in writing its appropriations bills for that year, but has yet to enact final … -
Testimony before the New Jersey Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
November 19, 2012
Good afternoon. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today. My name is January Angeles and I am a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a non-partisan research and policy organization based in Washington, DC. Founded in 1981, the Center conducts … -
Are Low-Income Programs Enlarging the Nation’s Long-Term Fiscal Problem?
Revised November 2, 2012
Several conservative analysts and some journalists lately have cited figures showing substantial growth in recent years in the cost of federal programs for low-income Americans. A recent report the Congressional Research Service prepared for Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) provides one such set of figures.[1] These figures can create … -
Romney Budget Proposals Would Necessitate Very Large Cuts in Medicaid, Education, Health Research and Other Programs
Updated September 24, 2012
Governor Mitt Romney’s proposals to cap total federal spending at 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and boost defense spending to 4 percent of GDP would require very large cuts in other programs, both entitlements and discretionary programs. This update of an earlier analysis is based on updated economic and budget … -
Uninsured Rate Fell or Held Steady in Almost Every State Last Year, New Census Data Show
September 21, 2012
The share of residents without health coverage fell in 20 states last year, Census data released yesterday show, while rising in just one. This improvement largely reflect increased private coverage among young adults — helped by a health reform provision allowing them to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until age 26 … -
2011’s Decline in Uninsured is Largest in 13 Years, but Median Income Fell, Inequality Widened, and Poverty Stayed Flat
September 17, 2012
The Census Bureau last week released a mixed set of data about poverty, income, and health insurance coverage in 2011.[1] On the positive side, the number of Americans without health insurance dropped by 1.3 million and the share of uninsured Americans fell by more than in any year since 1999. Young adults took advantage of a … -
Number of Uninsured Fell in 2011, Largely Due to Health Reform and Public Programs
September 13, 2012
The Census Bureau announced yesterday that, in 2011, the number of uninsured Americans fell for the first time in four years, and the percentage of Americans without health insurance experienced the largest single-year drop since 1999. The Census data suggest that health reform and other federal policies are responsible for a significant … -
Statement of Robert Greenstein, President, on Census’ 2011 Poverty, Income, and Health Insurance Data
September 12, 2012
Today’s Census data contained the good, the fair, and the ugly. The good news is that the number of uninsured Americans dropped by 1.3 million and the share of Americans without insurance fell by more than in any year since 1999; the fair news is that the poverty rate stayed flat after … -
Media Briefing: Examining the 2011 Census Data on Poverty, Health Insurance Coverage, and Income
September 12, 2012
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities held a conference call briefing to examine the Census Bureau data for 2011 on poverty, health insurance coverage, and income trends.
Robert Greenstein, the Center’s President, was joined by Jared Bernstein, Senior Fellow, to discuss the new data.
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The Census Bureau’s Upcoming Report on Health Insurance Coverage in 2011: What to Watch For
September 10, 2012
On September 12, the Census Bureau will release estimates of the number of Americans with and without health insurance coverage in 2011, based on its annual Current Population Survey. Other survey data and historical trends provide clues as to what the Census data are likely to show. Preliminary data from the Centers for Disease … -
How Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Will Impact State Budgets
Revised July 25, 2012
Shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that states can choose whether to adopt the health reform law’s Medicaid expansion to cover low-income parents and other adults, some governors declared that they will forgo the expansion, claiming it would place a heavy financial burden on their states.[1] Claims that states will bear a … -
Health Reform Law Makes Clear That Subsidies Will Be Available in States with Federally Operated Exchanges
July 16, 2012
Some health reform opponents claim that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) premium tax credits to help low- and moderate-income uninsured people buy coverage through the new health insurance exchanges are only available in states that have set up their own exchanges, not in states with federally operated exchanges. A group of … -
Statement of Robert Greenstein, President: Court Decision Will Allow Health Reform to Bring Major Benefits to the Nation, Especially If States Do Their Job
June 28, 2012
Today’s Supreme Court decision allows the nation to reap the very substantial benefits of the Affordable Care Act: health insurance coverage for millions of uninsured Americans, important consumer protections for millions of insured Americans whose coverage has serious gaps, and the promise of progress in slowing the growth of health care costs. States and the federal government should move … -
Limitation on Use of Tax-Advantaged Health Accounts Should Not Be Repealed
June 5, 2012
The House will consider legislation this week to repeal the health reform law’s limitation on the use of flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and other tax-advantaged accounts to buy over-the-counter medicines. The limitation makes sense both as tax policy and as health policy and should not be repealed. (The bill, H.R. 436, … -
House Legislation Would Cause 350,000 People to Forgo Health Coverage and Could Jeopardize Health Reform
June 5, 2012
The House is set to consider legislation this week that would make a change in the subsidies that health reform (the Affordable Care Act) provides to help low- and moderate-income people buy health insurance, causing 350,000 of them to forgo coverage and making it harder for health reform’s insurance exchanges to work effectively. The … -
Romney Budget Proposals Would Require Massive Cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, and Other Programs
Revised May 12, 2012
This report has been superseded by a new version, dated September 24, 2012, that reflects updated data and other information. Click to view the new analysis. Governor Mitt Romney’s proposals to cap total federal spending, boost defense spending, cut taxes, and balance the budget would require extraordinarily large cuts in other programs, both … -
House Budget Bills Would Target Programs for Lower-Income Families While Breaking Last Summer's Bipartisan Deal
Updated May 10, 2012
The House Budget Committee approved on May 7 a package of two bills that would alter the bipartisan deal between President Obama and congressional leaders that was reflected in last summer’s Budget Control Act (BCA). It would eliminate the “sequestration” (automatic cuts) in discretionary programs scheduled for 2013 as … -
Testimony of Paul N. Van de Water - Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities - Before the Subcommittee on Oversight Committee on Ways and Means U.S. House of Representatives
April 25, 2012
Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lewis, members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes a number of spending reductions and tax increases designed to assure that expanding health coverage does not drive up the deficit. Some provisions limit the use of tax-advantaged … -
House Bill Would Cut Medicaid Funding for Puerto Rico by About $5.5 Billion Through 2019
April 25, 2012
The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to pass legislation on April 25 that would cut federal Medicaid funding for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico by about $5.5 billion through 2019, relative to current law. The provision is part of legislation that House Republicans are assembling, and plan to bring to the House floor in … -
Medicaid Maintenance-of-Effort Requirement Does Not Stop States from Fighting Fraud
Updated April 24, 2012
Affordable Care Act provisions requiring states to maintain their eligibility standards and procedures for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program do not impede states’ efforts to ensure program integrity and reduce fraud, waste, and abuse, contrary to claims of House members who seek their repeal. Moreover, … -
Medicare Is Not “Bankrupt”
Updated April 24, 2012
Claims by some policymakers that the Medicare program is nearing “bankruptcy” are misleading. Although Medicare faces major financing challenges, the program is not on the verge of bankruptcy or ceasing to operate. Such charges represent misunderstanding (or misrepresentation) of Medicare’s finances. … -
Media Briefing: Understanding the Annual Reports of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees
April 23, 2012
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities held a conference call briefing on Monday, April 23 at 4:00 pm (ET) to discuss the 2012 reports of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees.
Paul Van de Water, Senior Fellow at the Center and one of Washington’s leading experts on both Social Security and Medicare, and Robert Greenstein, President of CBPP discussed what the reports say about the long-term financial status of Social Security and Medicare.
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Statement of Paul Van de Water, Senior Fellow, on the 2012 Medicare Trustees’ Report
April 23, 2012
The new report from Medicare’s trustees shows little change from last year’s report in the near-term outlook for the program, while indicating that the program continues to face significant financing challenges in the long run. The projected date of insolvency for Medicare’s … -
Provision in House Reconciliation Bill Would Cause 350,000 People to Forgo Health Coverage and Could Jeopardize Health Reform
April 18, 2012
The package of changes that the House Ways and Means Committee approved today in response to reconciliation instructions in the House budget resolution includes a change in the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies that would cause 350,000 people to forgo coverage and make it more difficult for the health reform law’s insurance … -
Letter: Improving the Strength and Solvency of Medicare
April 18, 2012
The Honorable Phil Gingrey, M.D. U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 202515 Dear Congressman: We are pleased to respond to the letter of March 22 from you and your colleagues asking our views on how to improve the “strength and solvency of Medicare.” We divide our response into three parts: some background … -
Draconian Republican Study Committee Budget Would Cut Federal Medicaid Funding Nearly in Half by 2022
March 28, 2012
The House Republican Study Committee has proposed an alternative budget to the plan designed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan; both will be considered on the House floor this week. As part of its budget, the RSC proposes to end Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and also to repeal the … -
Medicare in the Ryan Budget
March 28, 2012
The budget resolution developed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) would make significant changes to Medicare. It would replace Medicare’s current guarantee of coverage with a premium-support voucher, raise the age of eligibility from 65 to 67, and reopen the “doughnut hole” in Medicare’s coverage of … -
Cooper-LaTourette Budget Significantly to the Right of Simpson-Bowles Plan
March 28, 2012
Reps. Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Steven LaTourette (R-OH) unveiled a budget plan on March 27 that they call the “Simpson-Bowles Budget.” It departs significantly, however, from the Bowles-Simpson commission plan in key respects — raising taxes much less, cutting much more from non-security discretionary programs and less from defense and … -
Federal Government Will Pick Up Nearly All Costs of Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion
Updated March 28, 2012
For updated data, view this report: How Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Will Impact State Budgets July 12, 2012 Claims that states will bear a significant share of the costs of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Medicaid expansion — and that this will place a heavy financial burden on states — do not hold up under scrutiny. … -
Ryan Medicaid Block Grant Would Cut Medicaid by One-Third by 2022 and More After That
March 27, 2012
The Medicaid block-grant proposal in the Ryan budget that the House of Representatives will vote on this week would cut federal Medicaid funding by 34 percent by 2022 (on top of repealing the health reform law’s Medicaid expansion) because the funding would no longer keep pace with health care costs or with expected Medicaid … -
Blog Post: Ryan Roundup, 2012: Everything You Need to Know About Chairman Ryan's Budget
March 23, 2012
Below is a compilation of the CBPP blog posts to date on House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget. Check back here frequently, as we will update this list as we put out new material. http://bit.ly/RyanPosts Overview/General Greenstein Statement March 21, 2012 "The new Ryan budget is a … -
Blog Post: Low-Income Programs Would Bear the Brunt of Ryan Cuts
March 23, 2012
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Chairman Ryan Gets 62 Percent of His Huge Budget Cuts from Programs for Lower-Income Americans
March 23, 2012
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s budget plan would get at least 62 percent of its $5.3 trillion in nondefense budget cuts over ten years (relative to a continuation of current policies) from programs that serve people of limited means. This stands a core principle of President Obama’s fiscal commission on its head and … -
Blog Post: Chairman Ryan and the Medicare Part D Myth
March 21, 2012
Read on Off the Charts Blog House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan claims that his troubling proposal to convert Medicare into a premium support system — where beneficiaries would receive a voucher to buy private coverage or traditional Medicare — would control costs. He notes that the Medicare Part D drug benefit, which private insurers provide, has cost much … -
Blog Post: Greenstein on the Ryan Budget
March 21, 2012
We’ve issued a statement from Robert Greenstein on the budget from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. Here’s the opening: The new Ryan budget is a remarkable document — one that, for most of the past half-century, would have been outside the bounds of mainstream discussion due to its extreme nature. In essence, this budget is … -
Statement of Robert Greenstein, President, on Chairman Ryan's Budget Plan
March 21, 2012
The new Ryan budget is a remarkable document — one that, for most of the past half-century, would have been outside the bounds of mainstream discussion due to its extreme nature. In essence, this budget is Robin Hood in reverse — on steroids. It would likely produce the largest redistribution of income from the bottom to the top in modern U.S.… -
Blog Post: A First Look at the Ryan Budget
March 20, 2012
We’ve issued a brief analysis of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget plan. Here’s the opening: House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget plan specifies a long-term spending path under which, by 2050, most of the federal government aside from Social Security, health care, and defense would cease to … -
CBO Shows Ryan Budget Would Set Nation on Path to End Most of Government Other Than Social Security, Health Care, and Defense By 2050
March 20, 2012
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s new budget plan specifies a long-term spending path under which, by 2050, most of the federal government aside from Social Security, health care, and defense would cease to exist, according to figures in a Congressional Budget Office analysis released today. [1] The CBO report, prepared at Chairman … -
What You Need to Know About Premium Support
March 19, 2012
The budget resolution that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will unveil this week is expected to include a Medicare premium support proposal fashioned by Ryan and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). Although billed as a kinder, gentler form of premium support, the Ryan-Wyden plan has the same basic features as earlier premium … -
Media Briefing: Should IPAB Be Repealed?
March 19, 2012
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities held a conference call briefing discuss the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a health care cost-control mechanism created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), in advance of a House vote to repeal it.
Uwe Reinhardt, a leading authority on health care economics, and Peter Orszag, former director of the White House Office and Management and Budget who has focused on health care cost containment issues, joined the Center’s Paul Van de Water to discuss IPAB’s potential to help preserve and improve Medicare and rein in cost growth.
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Independent Payment Advisory Board Will Help Reduce Health Costs
March 15, 2012
The health reform legislation enacted in 2010 (the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) establishes the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB — a presidentially appointed commission that will help slow the growth of Medicare costs if those costs are projected to exceed a specified target level.[1] Other cost-control measures included … -
State Considerations on Adopting Health Reform's "Basic Health" Option
March 13, 2012
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expected to reduce the number of uninsured people by 34 million by 2021, by providing new options for low- and moderate-income people to obtain affordable, comprehensive health coverage through Medicaid and through tax credit subsidies to help them buy coverage in the new health insurance exchanges. [1] … -
The Case Against Premium Support
December 21, 2011
On December 16, 2011, the Brookings Institution's project on Budgeting for National Priorities hosted a discussion of the proposal for Medicare premium support developed by former Office of Management and Budget Director Alice Rivlin and former Senator Pete Domenici. [1] That proposal, and the markedly similar proposal advanced by House … -
Ryan-Wyden Premium Support Proposal Not What It May Seem
Revised December 21, 2011
The proposal for Medicare premium support by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) differs in key respects from how many media reports are describing it.[1] Despite claims to the contrary, it likely would shift substantial costs to beneficiaries rather than protect them from such cost increases, could … -
Media Briefing: A Closer Look at the Ryan-Wyden Plan to Reform Medicare
December 20, 2011
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities held a conference call briefing on Tuesday, December 20 at 12:30 pm (ET) to discuss the new Medicare reform framework put forth by Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Ron Wyden. Ezekiel Emanuel, a world-renowned bioethicist and health care expert, former Special Adviser for Health Policy to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and Chair of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy and Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, and Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress joined CBPP's Senior Fellow Paul Van de Water, and CBPP President, Robert Greenstein to discuss the implications of the Ryan-Wyden plan on Medicare, its beneficiaries, and health care costs.
Duration: 18:27
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General Assistance Programs: Safety Net Weakening Despite Increased Need
Updated December 19, 2011
State General Assistance programs, which provide a safety net of last resort for those who are very poor and do not qualify for other public assistance, have weakened considerably in recent decades and are continuing to do so, despite the large increase in need resulting from the recession. This report discusses how General Assistance Programs … -
Provision in House Republican Payroll Tax Bill Would Cause 170,000 People to Forgo Health Coverage and Could Jeopardize Health Reform
December 12, 2011
The House Republican payroll-tax bill unveiled December 9 includes a change in the Affordable Care Act’s subsidies that would cause 170,000 people to forgo coverage and make it more difficult for the health reform law’s insurance exchanges to function effectively. The provision in question would substantially increase the … -
Allowing Insurers to Withhold Data on Enrollees’ Health Status Could Undermine Key Part of Health Reform
December 12, 2011
Risk adjustment is one of the critical elements of health reform (i.e., the Affordable Care Act, or ACA) that’s designed to encourage insurers to compete based on price and quality — not on attracting the healthiest enrollees and deterring those in poorer health, as they typically do today in the individual and small-group … -
Statement: Paul N. Van de Water, Senior Fellow, on the CLASS Act
October 14, 2011
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ announcement today that her department has not been able to design a financially self-sustaining CLASS program within the law’s boundaries is sad but not surprising. It does not, however, eliminate the need for new … -
Converting Medicare to Premium Support Would Likely Lead to Two-Tier Health Care System
September 26, 2011
Some policymakers and analysts have proposed to convert Medicare to a "premium support" system — that is, replace its guarantee of health coverage with a flat payment that beneficiaries could use to help them purchase private insurance or, in some versions, traditional Medicare. But proponents have crafted a … -
Media Briefing: Raising the Medicare Eligibility Age: A Misguided Deficit-Reduction Proposal
September 12, 2011
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities will hold a conference call briefing on Monday, September 12 at 11:00 a.m. (ET) to discuss the impact of raising the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67, a proposal that the Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction is expected to consider in its effort to reduce the nation's long-term deficit.
Duration: 15:11
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Status of State Health Insurance Exchange Implementation
August 25, 2011
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Raising Medicare’s Eligibility Age Would Increase Overall Health Spending and Shift Costs to Seniors, States, and Employers
August 23, 2011
Raising Medicare's eligibility age from 65 to 67, which the new Joint Select Committee will likely consider this fall as a deficit-reduction measure, would not only fail to constrain health care costs across the economy; it would increase them. While this proposal would save the federal government money, it would do so by shifting costs … -
Testimony: Robert Greenstein, President, on “Deficit Reduction: A Review of Key Issues”
July 26, 2011
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to testify here today. As you well know, the nation is on an unsustainable fiscal course, and substantial changes in policy will be needed to right the ship. As a number of bipartisan commission have recommended over the past year, policymakers should aim … -
A Tempest in a Teapot
July 13, 2011
A few weeks ago, some news articles suggested that a large and costly “glitch” in the health reform law would allow several million middle-income people to receive Medicaid, which would greatly swell budget deficits. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor claimed that the provision in question, under which Medicaid … -
Testimony: Paul N. Van de Water, Senior Fellow, On the Financial Status of the Medicare Program
July 12, 2011
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Davis, and members of the subcommittee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. Although Medicare faces significant financing challenges, claims that the program is nearing “bankruptcy” are highly misleading. The 2011 report of … -
States Should Take Additional Steps to Limit Adverse Selection Among Health Plans in an Exchange
June 28, 2011
Health insurance exchanges, as envisioned under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), are intended to make an array of different coverage options available to individuals and small businesses. Exchange plans will be offered at several coverage levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum, plus a catastrophic plan open to certain … -
Proposal to Establish Federal Medicaid “Blended Rate” Would Shift Significant Costs to States
June 24, 2011
An Obama Administration proposal that’s on the table for budget negotiators would reduce federal Medicaid expenditures by reducing the federal share of Medicaid and CHIP costs, shifting costs to states and likely prompting states to cut payments to health care providers and to scale back the health services that Medicaid covers for … -
Media Briefing: Strategies For Reining in Health Care Costs Beyond Measures in Health Reform
June 23, 2011
Peter Orszag, former Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, now Vice Chair of Global Banking at Citigroup and Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, discusses and critiques various ideas and approaches for transforming the U.S. health care system in order to slow the rise in health care costs.
Duration: 16:24
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Under House Budget, “Tax Reform” Places Top Priority on High-Income Tax Cuts and Ignores Deficit Reduction
Updated May 26, 2011
The tax proposals in the budget that the House approved on April 15 place a top priority on cutting taxes for high-income people, while doing nothing to reduce budget deficits, themselves. [1] In addition to making the Bush tax cuts permanent and continuing to provide relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax … -
Ensuring Effective Risk Adjustment
May 18, 2011
Risk adjustment is a critical element of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that can help assure the long-term success of the law’s new health insurance exchanges and market reforms. Risk adjustment compensates insurers offering plans in the individual and small-group markets inside and outside the exchanges for the risks … -
Statement of Robert Greenstein, President, on Chairman Ryan’s Budget Plan
Updated April 20, 2011
Chairman Ryan’s sweeping budget plan has been labeled “courageous,” but it’s a cowardly budget in a crucial respect. It proposes a dramatic reverse-Robin-Hood approach that gets the lion’s share of its budget cuts from programs for low-income Americans — the politically and economically weakest group in … -
Understanding Health Reform’s Waivers for State Innovation
April 18, 2011
What are waivers for state innovation? Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) allows states to request five-year waivers of certain key provisions of health reform, including the individual mandate and the requirement to set up an exchange. To be approved, a “waiver for state innovation” must cover at least as many people as under the ACA and provide … -
Proposed Cap on Federal Spending Would Force Deep Cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
Revised April 15, 2011
A prominent proposal by Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO) to limit total federal spending to no more than 20.6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is attracting increasing attention, may sound benign, but it would inevitably force enormous cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, and possibly Social Security. The … -
Statement: Robert Greenstein on President Obama's Deficit-Reduction Plan
April 13, 2011
President Obama made an important contribution today to efforts to address the nation’s long-term fiscal problems, proposing a plan to reduce deficits by about $4 trillion over the next 12 years and meet the essential goal of stabilizing the national debt so that it rises no faster than … -
Republican Study Committee Bill Would Require Deepest Cuts in Programs for the Poor in U.S. History
April 5, 2011
Legislation unveiled last month by the Republican Study Committee, the powerful caucus that includes 176 House Republican members, would require the most severe cuts in programs for the poor in the nation’s history. Introduced by RSC Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH), Tim Scott (R-SC), and RSC Budget and Spending Task Force Chair … -
Off the Charts Blog Post: Ryan’s Rx for Medicaid Means Millions More Uninsured or Underinsured Seniors, People with Disabilities, and Children
April 4, 2011
House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will unveil a budget tomorrow that would cut Medicaid by as much as $1 trillion over the next 10 years and convert it into a block grant. He and others will likely claim that these changes would merely rein in “out-of-control” Medicaid costs while letting states stretch their reduced federal … -
Media Briefing: Principles and Cautions for Deficit Reduction
March 24, 2011
Robert Greenstein, President, and James R. Horney, Vice President for Fiscal Policy discuss a major new report, which suggests a framework for a comprehensive deficit reduction package, discusses the appropriate mix of tax and program savings for it, recommends some important ways to achieve those savings, explains the effects that such a package should have on poverty and inequality, and highlights some misguided proposals that policymakers should avoid.
Duration: 20:13
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A Framework for Deficit Reduction: Principles and Cautions
March 24, 2011
The nation is on an unsustainable fiscal course, and policymakers need to make major changes in policy. As a number of bipartisan panels have recommended over the past year, policymakers should aim to stabilize the debt as a share of the economy (the Gross Domestic Product) so the debt does not rise relentlessly as a share of the … -
Podcast: Radical Medicaid Proposals Could Add Millions to Ranks of Uninsured
March 24, 2011
Edwin Park, Vice President for Health Policy, discusses how Medicaid block grant proposals would harm seniors, children, and people with disabilities, as well as states.
Duration: 4:59
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Ryan-Rivlin Plan Would End Guaranteed Medicare, Shift Medicaid Costs To States And Beneficiaries
Revised March 22, 2011
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), chair of the House Budget Committee, and Alice Rivlin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office and the Office of Management and Budget, issued a proposal in November that would make deep reductions in Medicare and Medicaid benefits and fundamentally alter the nature of those programs.[1] The proposal … -
Testimony: Paul Van de Water, Senior Fellow, Before the Committee on the Budget
March 17, 2011
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Van Hollen, and members of the committee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today to discuss health and retirement security. Our landmark public programs — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — are bulwarks in defending the well-being of America’s seniors and people with disabilities.… -
Hatch-Upton Report On Costs to States of Expanding Medicaid Relies On Seriously Flawed Estimates
March 16, 2011
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) recently released a report purporting to estimate the net cost to states of expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. [1] The report claims it provides, on a state-by-state basis, the best estimates of … -
Testimony of Paul N. Van de Water, Senior Fellow, Before the Committee on Finance
March 16, 2011
Mr. Chairman, Senator Hatch, and members of the committee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. When Congress was about to enact health reform last March, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the legislation would reduce the deficit — modestly in its first ten years, but substantially in the … -
House Ways and Means Offset for Repealing Affordable Care Act’s Tax Reporting Requirement Would Weaken Health Reform
Updated March 2, 2011
On February 17, both the House Ways and Means Committee and the full Senate approved legislation to repeal a provision of the health reform law — usually referred to as the 1099 tax reporting requirement — that is designed to raise revenue by improving compliance with the nation’s tax laws. The full House will consider its version of the bill this week. The Ways and … -
Media Briefing: Medicaid, Health Reform, and the States
February 28, 2011
Judith Solomon, Vice President for Health Policy, Edwin Park, Vice President for Health Policy, and Robert Greenstein, the Center’s President, will discuss proposals to block grant the Medicaid program and repeal its maintenance of effort requirements.
Duration: 20:00
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Repealing Health Reform’s Maintenance of Effort Provision Could Cause Millions of Children, Parents, Seniors, and People With Disabilities to Lose Coverage
Updated February 24, 2011
The Affordable Care Act requires states to maintain their current Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program eligibility standards until 2014, when new, nationwide Medicaid eligibility standards take effect and state-based health insurance exchanges will begin operating. However, citing state budget problems, a number of … -
Medicaid Block Grant Would Shift Financial Risks and Costs to States
February 23, 2011
Some states may mistakenly believe that proposals to convert Medicaid into a block grant or otherwise cap federal funding would make their Medicaid costs more predictable and stable over time. In reality, a block grant is intended to provide predictability for the federal government by replacing the current financing … -
House-Passed Amendment to Defund Health Reform Would Block Insurance Reforms, Cost-Containment Measures, and Coverage Improvements
Updated February 18, 2011
The House today passed an amendment by Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-MT) to the fiscal year 2011 continuing resolution, which is expected to pass tonight or tomorrow. The amendment would bar the use of any funds provided by the legislation to implement any aspect of the Affordable Care Act, the health reform law enacted last year.[1] If … -
Testimony: Paul Van de Water, Senior Fellow, Before the Committee on Education and the Workforce U.S. House of Representatives
February 9, 2011
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Miller, and members of the committee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today to discuss the impact of health reform on the economy, employers, and the workforce. My testimony draws on a letter that I and over 250 other economists have submitted to the committee (a copy of which is attached). The … -
Health Policy Brief: Governance Issues for Health Insurance Exchanges
February 1, 2011
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Testimony: Paul Van de Water, Senior Fellow, Before the Committee on the Budget
January 26, 2011
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Van Hollen, and members of the committee, I appreciate the invitation to appear before you today. When Congress was about to enact health reform last March, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the legislation would reduce the deficit — modestly in its first ten years, but substantially in the following decade. [1] CBO has reiterated that finding … -
Podcast: Debunking False Claims About Health Reform's Impact on Jobs and the Deficit
January 18, 2011
Senior Fellow Paul Van de Water discusses myths about health reform’s impact on jobs and the deficit.
Duration: 3:57
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Debunking False Claims About Health Reform, Jobs, and the Deficit
January 7, 2011
Proponents of repealing the health reform law (the Affordable Care Act) argue that that the law will increase deficits — contrary to the Congressional Budget Office’s finding that it will reduce deficits by $143 billion over 2010-2019 and by about $1.3 trillion over the following decade [1] — and that it will “kill jobs.” Independent evidence … -
No Evidence for House Republican Charge that Health Reform Is a “Job-Killer”
January 6, 2011
Health reform will change the American economy in many ways over the next few decades, but it will not significantly change the number of jobs or the unemployment rate. A nonpartisan economic assessment by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) finds a variety of possible labor market effects, some positive and some negative, …
