Brookings: Topics - Medicare

Bending the Curve: A Comparative Review of the Senate Finance Committee Reform Proposal

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In early September, the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform released a report, Bending the Curve: Effective Steps to Address Long-Term Spending Growth, to help inform the current debate. A new brief provides a high-level review of the legislation introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, including a side-by-side summary of key provisions of the Bending the Curve report and those in the Baucus proposal.

There is No Entitlement Crisis; There Is a Health Care Funding Crisis

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Senior Fellow Henry J. Aaron explains why reforming health care is crucial to sustaining Medicare, Social Security and federal finances.

Bending the Curve: Effective Steps to Address Long-Term Health Care Spending Growth

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Reducing the growth of health care spending must be a top priority for health care reform. With this goal in mind, a group of leading health policy experts, including Engelberg Center Director Mark McClellan, has released a set of concrete, feasible steps that show promise for both slowing spending growth and improving quality and value in health care.

Improving Quality and Value in the U.S. Health Care System

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As Congress and the Administration consider legislation to reduce the number of Americans without insurance coverage, they must simultaneously address shortfalls in the quality and efficiency of care that lead to higher costs and to poor health outcomes. Engelberg Center experts, with support from Avalere Health, discuss evidence on a range of payment and delivery system reforms designed to improve health care in a new report.

The Health Care Debate: Getting Better Care at Lower Costs

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Engelberg Center director Mark McClellan discusses with Bloomberg TV's Political Capital host Al Hunt cost-saving measures around the country that deliver better health care at lower costs, and the importance of bipartisanship in implementing sustainable reform.

10 Steps to Better Health Care

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As the discussion on health care reform continues across America, Mark McClellan and other health policy experts have looked for solutions from communities that are already redesigning health care for the better. The experts offer a number of steps that can help our nation change how health care is delivered so that it is both less expensive and more effective.

Show Me the Money: Options for Financing Health Reform

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

At the Alliance for Health Reform’s recent briefing on health care financing, Engelberg Center Director Mark McClellan focused on a new path forward to health reform, based on his work with the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The Potential Role of Entitlement or Budget Commissions in Addressing Long-term Budget Problems

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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.

The Economic Impact of Health Care Reform

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

June 02, 2009, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

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.

Policy Changes to Improve Health Care Quality

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark McClellan addressed the Congressional Health Care Caucus recently to discuss needed policy changes to build a health care system that supports better care at lower costs.

Social Security and Medicare Solvency

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:19:47 GMT

The latest report on the solvency of the Social Security and Medicare trust funds reveals that these entitlement programs will likely run out of money sooner than expected. Senior Fellow Henry Aaron assesses the future of these two programs.

Health Care Reform: Beware of Interest Groups Bearing Gifts

Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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.

U.S. Health Care Reform: The Art of the Possible

Sat, 09 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Health Care Reform and President Obama's Budget

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:23:33 GMT

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.

There is No Entitlement Crisis

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Economic Stimulus and the Budget Deficit

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:22:55 GMT

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.

Medicare Part D: Good for Patients and an Opportunity for Pharmacists

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Reimbursement for medication therapy management services under Medicare Part D has created an historic opportunity for the pharmacy profession to step further into the role of managing outcomes as well as delivering medications to patients. Larry Kocot and Joshua Benner discuss how pharmacy leaders can be at the forefront of change by following five specific steps.

A Budget We Can Believe In

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Fostering Accountable Health Care: Moving Foward in Medicare

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

To succeed, health care reform must slow spending growth while improving quality. Mark McClellan and leading health care experts propose a new approach to help achieve more integrated and efficient care by fostering local organizational accountability for quality and costs through performance measurement and "shared savings" payment reform.

Short and Long-Run Fiscal Challenges

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

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.

The Role of States in a National Health Reform Effort

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

A Shot in the Arm for Medicare Part D

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Jeffrey Kling and Ideas42 researchers have found that seniors are more likely to switch Medicare healthcare plans and save substantial amounts by changing from their existing plan. Given the overall state of the economy and recent news that drug plans are increasing their premiums up to 64 percent, the study helped inform the 24 million seniors in the program to shop around for the best price as open enrollment for Medicare Part D drug plans began.

Choosy Seniors Can Save on Prescriptions

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The six-week annual open season for choosing health care options is under way. If you, or someone that you know, has prescription drug insurance from Medicare Part D, here's an idea that could save a bundle over the next year: consider switching plans, says Jeffrey Kling.

Rebuild Economic Confidence by Reforming Entitlements

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

“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.

Waste and the Health Care System

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

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.

Why We Need to Cut Seniors' Benefits

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel Sawhill discusses the big three of entitlement programs - Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid and how they will wreak havoc on the country's finances (and yours) unless we scale them back.

Rising to the Challenge of Real Health Care Reform

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The high and rising cost of expanding coverage is a major reason why previous attempts to achieve universal coverage have not succeeded, and why reform will keep getting harder, writes Mark McClellan, if we use the same approaches as in the past.

Reforming Medicare: Options, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

July 30, 2008, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

As baby-boomers begin to retire and health care spending continues to outpace income growth, Medicare faces a dire financial future and needs reform. To help guide the debate that will precede this reform, Henry Aaron and Jeanne Lambrew have written Reforming Medicare: Options, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities which outlines three broad approaches to reform. At this event, Aaron, Lambrew and other advocates discussed the three different reform strategies.

A Balanced Approach to Restoring Fiscal Responsibility

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With baby boomers beginning to retire and health care spending outpacing income growth, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security face an uncertain financial future. Henry Aaron, Charles Schultze and other experts propose a radical change in budget procedures to address the budget deficits currently projected for future decades.

Candidate Issue Index: Fiscal Responsibility

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel Sawhill presents leading presidential candidates' positions on issues of fiscal responsibility, including: taxes, government programs and budgetary process issues . This chart is part of a series of issue indices to be published during the 2008 presidential election cycle.

Closing Budget Deficits: An Entitlements Commission is Not the Answer

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Henry J. Aaron testified before the House Committee on the Budget about H.R. 3654, a bill that would establish a federal budget commission to "reform tax policy and entitlement benefit programs and ensure a sound fiscal future."

Presidential Candidates Should Address Looming Budget Deficits

Mon, 26 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With Congress poised to approve a budget blueprint that offers no relief for long-term deficit woes, Isabel Sawhill says that it’s time for presidential candidates to discuss ways to reshape the nation’s fiscal priorities and return to a more responsible path. Right now, she writes, little is being done to prevent a disaster.

Facing the Music: The Fiscal Outlook at the End of the Bush Administration

Thu, 08 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Alan J. Auerbach, Jason Furman and William Gale discuss the most recent Congressional Budget Office baseline projection, and use it to examine the causes of the fiscal decline since 2000 and the medium- and longer-term fiscal outlook.

Reforming Medicare : Options, Tradeoffs, and Opportunities

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:00:00 GMT

Aaron and Lambrew provide essential insight into the types of hybrid Medicare policies that Congress will consider in coming years.

Budget Chaos: What, Me Worry?

Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As the baby boomers begin to retire this year, the burden of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid will grow relentlessly. With more people in the programs and more expensive benefits, the nation will quickly encounter a budget disaster. Bill Frenzel and Ron Haskins say that dramatic reforms are needed to avoid budget chaos for future generations.

Taking Back our Fiscal Future

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Unsustainable deficits in the federal budget threaten the health and vigor of the American economy. When the next president and Congress take office in January 2009, they will face one crucial question that has been almost absent from the current election campaign: how to close the enormous gap between projected federal spending and revenues.

How To Take Back Our Fiscal Future

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 31, 2008, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Some of the nation’s top economists and budget policy experts presented a new paper arguing that the first step toward establishing budget responsibility is to reform the budget decision process so that Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—the major drivers of escalating deficits—are no longer on auto-pilot.

The Cost of Medicare

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:25:55 GMT

Paying for Medicare threatens the solvency of the U.S. budget while meeting the needs of the aging Medicare population is a demographic battle. Senior Fellow Alice Rivlin says that, while difficult, our next president must control the costs while maintaining the program.

Our Looming Medical Cost Catastrophe: What’s to be Done?

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 07, 2008, 8:30 AM to 4:15 PM

Panelists at this conference, co-sponsored by Brookings and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University, considered why past efforts to contain health costs have failed and how America might achieve cost-sensitive health care reform in the future. Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag offered remarks.

Health Care Challenges for Our Next President

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:45:24 GMT

Senior Fellow Henry Aaron explains to ABC’s Martha Raddatz that our next president will confront major health policy decisions with far-reaching effects on the life of virtually every American.

Budget Crisis, Entitlement Crisis, Health Care Financing Problem—Which Is It?

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Henry Aaron raises questions about the health-care budget and finding solutions to this long term problem.

Slowing the Growth of Health Spending: We Need Mixed Strategies, and We Need to Start Now

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Americans are deeply concerned about paying their mounting bills for health care. This is true whether they have public (Medicare or Medicaid) or private insurance. And it’s certainly true for the 46 million people with no insurance at all. At the same time, the federal government’s health spending is clearly unsustainable. If current commitments are kept, other government services will have to be slashed or taxes increased drastically just to pay for Medicare and Medicaid.

Achieving Universal Coverage Through Medicare Part E(veryone)

Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Several principles govern the creation of our Medicare Part E(veryone) proposal. First, universal health insurance coverage is necessary.

Medicare Advantage and the Federal Budget

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

On June 28, 2007, Brookings Senior Fellow Mark McClellan testified before the House Budget Committee, discussing the Medicare Advantage program as it relates to the Federal Budget and the overall value it brings to the health care system for the public.

Restoring Fiscal Sanity 2007 : The Health Spending Challenge

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Exceeding $2 trillion annually, health care spending in the United States is growing significantly faster than the national economy. If left unchecked, this health spending crisis will threaten Americans' ability to pay for other essential services.

Transforming U.S. Health Care: Policy Challenges Affecting the Integration and Improvement of Care

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Because of advances in medical knowledge, the sickest and most costly patients usually receive care from multiple physicians who are often based at multiple institutions. We argue that organization of providers into integrated delivery networks is an important tactic for promoting coordination among physicians.

Biting the Bullet on Health Care Costs

Mon, 20 Jun 2005 16:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

June 20, 2005, 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Financing Health Care with Limited Resources

Thu, 07 Oct 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Speech by Henry J. Aaron, Conference on Health Care Challenges Facing the Nation (10/7/04)

Retirement Saving and Long-Term Care Needs: An Overview

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Paper by William G. Gale, Mark J. Iwry, Peter R. Orszag, Alexis Ahlstrom, Emily Clements, Jeanne Lambrew, Anne Tumlinson (September 2004)

Linking Reverse Mortgages and Long-Term Care Insurance

Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Paper by Alexis Ahlstrom, Anne Tumlinson, Jeanne Lambrew (3/17/04)

Prescription Drug Bill: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Thu, 15 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Henry J. Aaron (1/15/04)

The Prescription Drug Bill: Many Steps Backward

Fri, 21 Nov 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Henry J. Aaron (11/21/03)

Budget Deficit and Entitlements: The Grand Delusion

Wed, 15 Oct 2003 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Henry J. Aaron (10/15/03)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Managed Competition

Fri, 01 Feb 2002 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Henry J. Aaron, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution, in the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, February 2002

Living Longer: The Challenges of an Aging Population

Thu, 25 May 2000 00:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

May 25, 2000 at 12:00 AM

Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare

Tue, 28 Sep 1999 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Robert Reischauer before the Subcommittee on Health and the Environment Committee on Commerce September 29, 1999: Prescription Drug Coverage and Medicare

Medicare: Such a Modest Proposal

Tue, 10 Feb 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Jacob Hacker, Guest Scholar, The Brookings Institution, in The Washington Post, February 10, 1998

The Medicare for the Almost-Old

Mon, 12 Jan 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Robert Reischauer, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Mercury's Health Effects

Sun, 21 Dec 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Christopher H. Foreman, Jr., Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, in New York Times, December 21, 1997

Two Years That Make a Big Difference

Sun, 13 Jul 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Robert Reischauer, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Midnight Follies

Sun, 22 Jun 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Robert Reischauer, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Medicare Beyond 2002: Preparing for the Baby Boomers

Sun, 01 Jun 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by Robert D. Reischauer (Summer 1997)

What Medicare Reform?

Thu, 08 May 1997 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Robert Reischauer, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Former Senator Dole's Plan for ""Restoring the American Dream"" and the Future of Medicare

Thu, 12 Sep 1996 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Joseph White, former Visiting Fellow, Governmental Studies, the Brookikngs Institution, before the Democratic Congressional Forum, September 12, 1996

Newest Public Utility? Health Care

Thu, 25 Jan 1996 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Henry Aaron, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Intensive Care : How Congress Shapes Health Policy

Fri, 01 Sep 1995 00:00:00 GMT

This volume weighs the importance of Congress in the failure to enact health reform by examining more broadly how Congress shapes health policy--on matters ranging from ambitious plans to achieve universal health insurance coverage to annual appropri

How Do They Do That? Low-Cost, High-Quality Health Care in America

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 GMT

Engelberg Center Director Mark McClellan—alongside health care improvement experts Drs. Donald Berwick, Elliott Fisher, and Atul Gawande—brought together teams from 10 high-performing regions to explore the factors that underlie the mechanisms for delivering health care in their communities and to discuss ways to implement such health care in the rest of the country.