PUBLICATIONS BY Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
Research
Commentary
Media Appearances
2009 Research
November 16, 2009
Bipartisan Entitlement Commission Needed to Control Spending and Debt
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2698)
A fiscal reform commission is essential to tackling the coming tsunami of entitlement spending and deficit red ink that threaten the economy.
November 16, 2009
The Legislative Trigger and the Public Health Care Option
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2700)
While the trigger idea may seem like a reasonable compromise, it is unworkable and would actually slow down or undermine creative solutions to coverage gaps at the state level.
July 01, 2009
How to Design a Tax Cap in Health Care Reform
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2517)
The Obama Administration and congressional Democrats have recently opened the door to a change in the tax treatment of employer-sponsored health benefits as part of health care reform.
June 26, 2009
Senate Finance "MedPAC" Health Proposal Needs Savings Guarantee
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2507)
Congress could end creating a large new entitlement, with savings offsets that are phantom rather than real, and adding to the staggering debt burden on future generations.
June 12, 2009
Why the Kennedy Health Bill Would Wreck Bipartisan Reform
By Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., and Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2481)
The Affordable Health Choices Act is a setback for bipartisan health care reform.
May 06, 2009
Coverage Issues in Health Reform
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
There is broad agreement on the broad goals of health reform. We all want to achieve significant progress this year towards the vision of an America in which everyone has coverage that is adequate, accessible, and affordable -- to households and to the nation -- and portable.
January 29, 2009
Mutual Obligation and the American Social Contract
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1107)
Simple steps like automatic enrollment in savings plans, incentives to encourage long-term care insurance, and delinking coverage from the workplace would foster long-term, personally owned insurance contracts that could be carried into retirement, maintain the coalition needed to assure that these programs will be preserved, and be consistent with our sense of social solidarity and mutual obligation across society and between generations.
2008 Research
December 15, 2008
Time to End the TARP Bailout Program
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2174)
To the extent that new financial crises materialize, recent experience suggests that the Federal Reserve Board is best able to handle them and would do so while resisting political pressure. It is time to end the continued use and abuse of TARP funds.
December 03, 2008
Permanent Tax Relief - Not Tax "Holidays" - Stimulates Economic Growth
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2152)
Fiscal policy in the form of short-term tax holidays, or temporary spending jolts, will not rekindle economic growth; only long-term reductions in marginal tax rates on capital and work will accomplish that goal.
December 03, 2008
Ensuring Access to Affordable Health Insurance
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Nina Owcharenko
(Special Report #27)
President-elect Obama, during the campaign you pledged to build a health care system in which Americans can be as-sured of access to affordable health insurance.
November 14, 2008
The Baucus Health Reform Plan: A Starting Point for Serious Discussion
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #2132)
Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has just unveiled a comprehensive health plan. This is a welcome development in that it puts some flesh on the bones of ideas that have been circulating in policy circles.
October 01, 2008
Action on Financial Rescue Plan Urgently Needed
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Edwin Meese III
(WebMemo #2094)
A revised so-called "bailout" package is being readied for a Senate vote and subsequent action in the House. Action on this rescue package is urgently needed. Households across the nation are beginning to see the leading edge of the storm that is already roiling credit markets here and around the world.
September 29, 2008
The Bailout Package: Vital and Acceptable
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Edwin Meese III
(WebMemo #2091)
Financial markets in the United States and around the world face a dire emergency requiring urgent and decisive action. The package of emergency steps now before Congress is intended to address that problem and restore America’s credit markets while protecting the taxpayer as much as possible from the cost of dealing with the crisis. Certain provisions are far more troubling, however, and raise serious constitutional concerns.
September 19, 2008
What Should Be Done About the Financial Markets?
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Alison Acosta Fraser, and James L. Gattuso
(WebMemo #2070)
Lawmakers have just been presented with the outline of an expansive and potentially costly package of proposals said to be needed to bring a permanent solution to the financial crisis. As they evaluate this package and other proposals, lawmakers should be guided by certain goals and strategies.
June 27, 2008
CBO's Warning on Raising Taxes to Pay for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2153)
Three former CBO directors and other budget analysts from across the political spectrum have urged a fundamental restructuring of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security to avert an economic crisis and to avoid placing an unacceptable burden on future generations. The CBO says that if no action is taken to address this and deficits soar to expected levels, "the economy will eventually suffer serious damage."
June 19, 2008
Guidelines for Structuring Health Insurance
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
The way in which Americans access health care is uniquely different from any other major country. As an immigrant to this country, I was immediately struck by the peculiarities of America’s health care “system.” The simple fact is that for most working-age Americans, health insurance is directly connected to their place of work.
March 31, 2008
Taking Back our Fiscal Future
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Alison Acosta Fraser and Other Authors
(White Paper #9999)
Taking Back our Fiscal Future
February 19, 2008
Rethinking Social Insurance
By Stuart M. Butler and Maya MacGuineas
(White Paper #9999)
The single greatest threat to the fiscal health of the United States is the runaway growth of the nation's major retirement and health care entitlement programs.
2007 Research
October 01, 2007
SCHIP Plus a Tax Credit: A Compromise Health Insurance Plan for Kids
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D. and Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1652)
Congress should fashion a bipartisan compromise that aims to expand coverage for the uninsured while preserving coverage for families that already have it.
September 24, 2007
SCHIP: Crafting a Better Compromise to Cover Kids
By Nina Owcharenko and Stuart Butler
(WebMemo #1635)
House and Senate leaders should negotiate a more balanced compromise that aims to expand access to private health coverage for uninsured children.
August 29, 2007
Restoring the American Social Contract
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #1039)
Returning to the principles of mutual obligation within a financially responsible framework will restore the American social contract to its original principles as a bargain between society and the individual, based more solidly on institutions that individuals value as integral parts of their lives, with the government dimension appropriately limited and sustainable, and more just to future generations.
July 27, 2007
Beware of Taxation of Private Equity Partnerships
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1571)
Despite the talk of reform and loophole closing, the aim of these bills is clear: to raise taxes even faster than under current law.
June 26, 2007
Twelve Principles to Guide U.S. Energy Policy
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Kim R. Holmes, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2046)
The best way to facilitate access to oil and gas and foster new alternatives that work for the U.S. economy while addressing homeland and national security concerns is to focus on policies that help America to achieve three overarching goals: unleashing the power of free enterprise, protecting the nation's energy interests, and advancing free global energy markets.
January 31, 2007
Solutions to Our Long-Term Fiscal Challenges
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
As Comptroller General David Walker has pointed out, entitlement-driven unfunded growth in spending will impose staggering financial burdens on our children and grandchildren. It may be tempting to raise taxes to keep pace with the mounting obligations. But falling tax revenues are not the problem, and raising taxes would be damaging to the economy. Instead, Congress should make reasonable and prudent changes to reduce entitlement spending. To begin to accomplish this, Congress should include entitlement obligations in its annual budget and convert retirement entitlements into 30-year budgeted discretionary programs with spending triggers to make automatic adjustments.
January 22, 2007
Making Health Care Affordable: Bush's Bold Health Tax Reform Plan
By Stuart M. Butler and Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1316)
A sound basis for a serious discussion on how the tax treatment of health care should be reformed, consistent with good tax policy.
January 16, 2007
Congress Should Reject New Taxes and Curb Exploding Entitlements
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1313)
Any tax increase would be a real and unacceptable threat to America’s prosperity.
January 09, 2007
The Budget and Entitlements: Time to Take Action
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1303)
If America does nothing, entitlements will crowd out other federal spending and push taxes to unprecedented heights.
January 05, 2007
Bush's Call For Fiscal Restraint: Entitlement Control is the Key
By Stuart Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1298)
While the goal of balancing the budget in five years has a popular ring to it, the real threat to the economy and families is not the deficit but the relentless projected rise in future spending driven by entitlements.
2006 Research
August 07, 2006
The Baldwin–Price Health Bill: Bipartisan Encouragement for State Action on the Uninsured
By Stuart Butler, Ph.D., and Nina Owcharenko
(WebMemo #1190)
A new way to break free of the deadlock in health care reform.
July 28, 2006
What Is Really Happening to Government Revenues: Long-Run Forecasts Show Sharp Rise in Tax Burden
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D., and Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1957)
Instead of raising taxes even faster than projected in an effort to catch up with out-of-control spending, the wise course is to tackle the explosion of entitlement spending and continue to enact tax reforms and reductions to hold the long-term tax burden at the historic level that has been a key to America's economic success.
July 14, 2006
The Wolf SAFE Commission Act: A Chance to Get the Budget Back on Track
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1162)
A proposal to break spending paralysis in Washington.
June 15, 2006
The Voinovich-Bingaman Bill: Letting the States Take the Lead in Extending Health Insurance
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph. D.
(WebMemo #1128)
Last month's "Health Week" in the U.S. Senate, just like the national "Cover the Uninsured Week" also held in May, failed to result in any Senate legislation to deal with the problems of uninsured Americans. And in all probability, if any legislation is passed by the House next week during its "Health Week," that legislation will be pushed through on a party-line vote and will fail to be enacted by the Senate. With the political gridlock on health care, neither side has the votes in Washington to enact significant reform.
2005 Research
September 16, 2005
How to Turn the President's Gulf Coast Pledge into Reality
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Alison Acosta Fraser, Dan Lips, Robert M. Moffit, Ph.D., and Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #848)
Private investment, direct assistance to individuals, and sound economics are the basis of recovery.
September 12, 2005
From Tragedy to Triumph: Principled Solutions for Rebuilding Lives and Communities
By Edwin Meese III, Stuart M. Butler, and Kim R. Holmes
(Special Report #05)
As Congress and the nation work to rebuild shattered lives and destroyed neighborhoods and businesses after the Katrina disaster, the need to take action swiftly must not lead to steps that cause dollars to be used inefficiently or to unwise decisions that frustrate long-term success. In addition, because the homeland security grant system and the billions given to state and local governments and to the private sector have not improved the nation's capacity to respond to catastrophic disasters, the Administration needs the authority and organization to build an effective national response system that can be quickly activated for such devastating disasters.
June 15, 2005
Enhancing Federalism to Address Medicaid and the Uninsured
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
Potential savings in Medicaid should be considered within the general goal of increasing coverage.
May 02, 2005
Bush's Progressive Indexation Plan: A Key Step to Preserve Social Security
By David C. John and Stuart Butler
(WebMemo #733)
A fair and equitable way to fix Social Security.
2004 Research
August 12, 2004
A Vision For Health System Change
By Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., Daniel "Stormy" Johnson, M.D., Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Stan Dorn, J.D., John Goodman, Ph.D., and Kenneth E. Thorpe, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #848)
From a policy standpoint, health coverage assistance should be focused on those who need it most; insurance and coverage choices should not be dependent upon a person's place of employment; and states should be allowed to fine-tune the kinds of structures that will best help them to organize coverage
August 12, 2004
A Vision For Health System Change
By Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., Daniel "Stormy" Johnson, M.D., Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Stan Dorn, J.D., John Goodman, Ph.D., and Kenneth Thorpe, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #848)
From a policy standpoint, health coverage assistance should be focused on those who need it most; insurance and coverage choices should not be dependent upon a person's place of employment; and states should be allowed to fine-tune the kinds of structures that will best help them to organize coverage
July 14, 2004
How Uncurbed Entitlements Will Force Large Tax Increases
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #540)
Without entitlement reform, a balanced budget would require taxes to rise about 15 percent in 10 years, and 30 percent in 20 years.
June 17, 2004
Reducing Uninsurance by Reforming Health Insurance in the Small-Business Sector
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1769)
Individual tax credits for health coverage and an insurance infrastructure with affordable choices would enable uninsured families in the small-business sector to have coverage that is similar to, or better than, the insurance available to employees of large firms; but Congress must recognize the important distinction between using the place of employment to obtain insurance and making tax relief to families contingent upon employer sponsorship of their health insurance.
June 08, 2004
What Is the Real Reason to Worry about the Deficit?
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #519)
The federal deficit isn't the bogeyman that many claim it is. What should be worrying--and what will be most damaging to future generations--is the state of federal spending, which is projected to explode in coming years with entitlement programs.
2003 Research
December 22, 2003
Is Prayer Good for Your Health? A Critique of the Scientific Research
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.; Harold G. Koenig, M.D.; Christina Puchalski, M.D.; Cynthia Cohen, Ph.D., J.D.; and Richard Sloan, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #816)
Considerable scientific research analyzing the potential connection between religious practice and prayer and health, undertaken at some of our most prestigious universities around the country, is the basis of dozens, if not hundreds, of major scientific articles examining this connection. The experts assembled in this panel provide an overview of, and differing perspectives on the validity and implications of, this research.
November 17, 2003
Time to Rethink the Disastrous Medicare Legislation
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #370)
The Medicare conference agreement fails the two critical requirements of a responsible drug benefit program for the nation's seniors. The original idea underlying this legislation was never just about adding drug coverage to Medicare. It was about doing so in a way that would not lead to huge additional liabilities to future generations, and in a way that would reform the program so that it could respond to the changing needs of the elderly and disabled. But the agreement will not lead to that.
November 10, 2003
Cost Control in the Medicare Drug Bill Needs Premium Support, Not a "Trigger"
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D., and Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #1704)
The trigger proposal will do little if anything to hold down the mushrooming taxpayer cost of Medicare. It could easily be evaded by politicians who are adept at circumventing or simply ignoring spending controls. Moreover, even if it did work, it would do so by increasing government controls on doctors and hospitals to the detriment of patients. Needed instead is a firm commitment by Congress to an effective premium support mechanism.
July 16, 2003
The Crucial Elements of an Acceptable Medicare Bill _
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1667)
In dealing with the Medicare bills now being considered in conference, Congress must face up to the task of legislating real reform, modernizing the program, and taking sound and decisive steps to eliminate new unfunded liabilities. Simply adding a new benefit and sharply increasing the unfunded burden being passed on to future generations would be unconscionable.
June 13, 2003
The Medicare Drug Bill: An Impending Disaster for all Americans
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #293)
Rather than combining steps to help some seniors with reforms to the unsustainable finances of the Medicare program, Congress' "reforms" will reduce choice and innovation and impose staggering financial burdens on our children and grandchildren.
June 13, 2003
The Medicare Drug Bill: An Impending Disaster for All Americans
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #885)
Congress appears on course to enacting, and President George W. Bush is likely to sign, what Bill Clinton's Medicare administrator calls "the biggest expansion of government health benefits since the Great Society." Rather than combining steps to help some seniors with reforms of the Medicare program's unsustainable finances, Congress's "reforms" will reduce choice and innovation and impose staggering financial burdens on our children and grandchildren.
June 04, 2003
Comparing the Performance of Medicare and the FEHBP
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #285)
Compares the performance of Medicare and the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and brings attention to the enormous weaknesses in the Medicare program.
March 10, 2003
Laying the Groundwork for Universal Health Care Coverage
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
Suggest what actions need to be taken in order to begin a difficult path toward Universal Health Care.
February 26, 2003
Achieving Progress on Medicare
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1627)
Failure to link benefit improvements with needed reforms will simply lead to a Medicare program that is inferior and fails to provide enough help to those who need it while passing a huge financial burden on to future generations.
2002 Research
March 20, 2002
Time for Bipartisan Action to Help Families
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1528)
Creating a refundable tax credit for insurance not necessarily provided through the place of employment is a sensible step that Congress could take this year while it also takes steps to improve the availability of group coverage throughout the states.
March 20, 2002
The FEHBP as a model for reforming Medicare
By Stuart Butler
(Testimony #9999)
Introduction to the FEHBP.
February 13, 2002
Health Care Tax Credits and the Uninsured
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #021302)
It is vital that Congress seizes the opportunity before it to make a real downpayment on helping the uninsured through a mechanism that has strong support in each chamber and in the White House. A tax credit for insurance not provided through the place of employment is a sensible step that Congress could take this year.
2001 Research
November 26, 2001
Time for a Veto Threat on the Farm Bill
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #794)
If the President is truly determined to speak for all Americans in these difficult times, he must send a message to Congress that is loud and clear: Without real reforms in farm programs and a sharp cutback in costs, this farm bill will never become law.
March 16, 2001
How Health Tax Credits for Families Would
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1420)
Congress must recognize that an important distinction exists between the place of employment as the convenient place to obtain insurance and making tax relief to families contingent upon employer sponsorship of their health insurance.
March 16, 2001
BG1420es: How Health Tax Credits for (pdf)
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #1420es)
BG1420es: How Health Tax Credits for Families Would Supplement Employment-Based Coverage (pdf)
March 08, 2001
Why the Bush Tax Cuts Are No Threat To Philanthropy
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1417)
Why the Bush Tax Cuts Are No Threat To Philanthropy
March 08, 2001
BG1417es: Why the Bush Tax Cuts Are No Threat To Philanthropy
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #1417es)
BG1417es: Why the Bush Tax Cuts Are No Threat To Philanthropy
1999 Research
September 30, 1999
Why Congress Should Consider Alternatives to Raising the Minimum Wage
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Angela Antonelli
(Executive Memorandum #627)
Clinton and some Members of Congress propose raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour--an increase of nearly 20 percent.
June 24, 1999
BG1301ES: Ending the Double Taxation of College Savings
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #1301)
BG1301ES: Ending the Double Taxation of College Savings
June 24, 1999
Ending the Double Taxation of College Savings
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1301)
One central feature of tax reform should be the elimination of double taxation of savings.
June 22, 1999
Last Chance for Washington to Show Good Faith on the Budget
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1297)
The first budget Clinton submitted after the agreement contained discretionary outlays scored by the Congressional Budget Office at $12 billion over the agreed level.
June 16, 1999
A Heath Tax Credit to Assist the Uninsured
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
There is growing support outside Congress for introducing changes in the tax code to make it more rational concerning health expenditures and to help the uninsured and to help the uninsured.
June 14, 1999
BG1294ES: Reorganizing Medicare to Ensure a Better Program for Seniors
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #1294)
BG1294ES: Reorganizing the Medicare System to Ensure a Better Program for Seniors
June 14, 1999
Reorganizing Medicare to Ensure a Better Program for Seniors
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1294)
There is considerable pressure on Congress to add an outpatient drug benefit to Medicare.
May 27, 1999
Restructuring Medicare for the Next Century
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Testimony #9999)
Reform involves not only addressing the financing of Medicare, but also critical governance issues.
May 03, 1999
Archer-Shaw Proposal Not the Way to Reform Social Security
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and David C. John
(Executive Memorandum #594)
The Social Security "add-on" retirement accounts contained in a new reform proposal would be the wrong way to achieve Social Security reform.
February 24, 1999
The Folly of an Education Spending Race
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1258)
Federal spending on education is fast becoming a reverse political "third rail."
January 29, 1999
Principles for a Bipartisan Reform of Medicare
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1247)
Congress and the Clinton Administration have the unprecedented opportunity to enact into law a reform of Medicare that will address the program's long-term benefit and deep-seated shortcomings.
January 20, 1999
Principles to Guide Reform of Health Care
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1243)
There is considerable pressure on lawmakers to address the growing concerns about America's employment-based health care system.
January 19, 1999
How Tax Reforms Would Help Improve
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D. and Carrie J. Gavora
(Backgrounder #1242)
Congress faces many challenges in the area of health care reform.
1998 Research
July 20, 1998
Rebuilding Broken Communities
By The Honorable Thomas Ridge, Henry Olson, and Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #623)
For the past 60 years we let the liberals run the cities, and the result has been disaster
July 13, 1998
Another Chance to Help Families to Afford
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #539)
Another Chance to Help Families to Afford College
1997 Research
October 28, 1997
Why Strong Social Institutions Are Needed
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Heritage Lecture #603)
Why Strong Social Institutions Are Needed to Survive Economic Growth
June 12, 1997
BG1123: Congress's Own Health Plan
By Stuart Butler, Ph.D. and Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1123)
BG1123: Congress's Own Health Plan As A Model For Medicare Reform
June 12, 1997
EM487: Giving Seniors The Same Health Plan
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #487)
EM487: Giving Seniors The Same Health Plan Congress Has
April 30, 1997
Time is Running Out For Medicare Reform
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1112)
BG1112: Time is Running Out For Medicare Reform
April 07, 1997
EM475: The Two Options For Helping
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #475)
EM475: The Two Options For Helping Uninsured Children
January 31, 1997
BG1101: Taking the Anxiety Out of Paying for College
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and John S. Barry
(Backgrounder #1101)
BG1101: Taking the Anxiety Out of Paying for College: A Bond Market for Higher Education`
1996 Research
February 06, 1996
EM444: Why Combining "KIDSAVE" With
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #444)
EM444: Why Combining "KIDSAVE" With A Child Tax Credit Makes Good Sense
1995 Research
October 24, 1995
Time To Enact Real Enterprise Zones
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #438)
There is a genuine and urgent desire in Washington to trigger an economic rebirth of America's inner cities.
September 22, 1995
EM428: Two Cheers For The House
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #428)
EM428: Two Cheers For The House Medicare Plan
June 26, 1995
bg1038: What to Do About Medicare
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., Robert E. Moffit, Ph.D. and John C. Liu
(Backgrounder #1038)
bg1038: What to Do About Medicare
1993 Research
May 11, 1993
The Clinton Administration's Sham Enterprise Zone Proposal
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #355)
The Clinton Administration last week sent legislation to Capitol Hill to create federal enterprise zones in depressed inner-city and rural communities.
1992 Research
March 05, 1992
A Policy Maker's Guide to The Health Care Crisis
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D
(WebMemo #9999)
A Policy Maker's Guide to The Health Care Crisis
2009 Commentary
November 20, 2009
New Bankruptcy Policy Can Avoid Mass Bailouts
By Stuart Butler
Maybe we can breathe a collective sigh of relief -- now that we've dodged the bullet of a catastrophic collapse of America's entire financial system. But how do we avoid a possible repeat performance?
October 23, 2009
Hill is Above the (Labor) Law
By Stuart Butler
Most Americans think that all citizens should have the same rights and privileges, and that the same laws should apply equally to all.
October 09, 2009
Bank the Bucks First
By Stuart Butler
A classic "Saturday Night Live" skit sums up much of what's wrong with the financing part of health care reform and gives a clue how to fix it.
September 25, 2009
COOP d'etat: An acronym does not a co-op make
By Stuart Butler
"When I use a word," says Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass," "it means just what I choose it to mean."
September 11, 2009
Learning from Sweden's school voucher success
By Stuart M. Butler
Late last month, I returned to Washington after attending a conference in Stockholm. In both national capitals, thousands of children and their parents were in full back-to-school planning mode.
September 10, 2009
At the Danger Point in the Obamacare Debate
By Stuart M. Butler
Now that many Americans realize the Obamacare bills in Congress herald a government takeover of U.S. health care, they can't afford to relax.
August 14, 2009
Social insurance needs rethinking
By Stuart M. Butler
The U.S. is headed for a fiscal meltdown. Even before Congress began calling for a hugely expensive overhaul of health care, the federal government was a staggering $56 trillion in the hole, in terms of unfunded obligations.
July 31, 2009
Big Bang approach all wrong for health reform
By Stuart M. Butler
Momentum for the Obama administration's health care proposal seems to be dissipating as concern about the plan mounts. But why is it so difficult to overhaul our health system when there is bipartisan agreement it needs to be fixed?
July 28, 2009
The Case Against: The public plan will unfairly crowd out private coverage
By Stuart M. Butler
I've spent the last 30 years trying to achieve affordable health coverage for all Americans, so it's frustrating to see the obsession with a "public plan" making it impossible for reasonable people from both parties to come together. "The fixation on a public plan is bizarre and counterproductive," The Washington Post put it recently in an editorial. "It would be a huge mistake for the left to torpedo reform over this question."
July 17, 2009
Uncle Sam realty - Now's the time to sell
By Stuart M. Butler
At a budget meeting early in his administration, President Reagan pondered paying for part of the defense buildup by selling off other assets. "I wonder how much we could get for Rhode Island?" he joked.
July 03, 2009
Time for 'real world' health budgeting
By Stuart M. Butler
What if Congress actually had to pay for any new program it wanted to start? It's a common-sense way to do business. And totally alien to Washington's breezy "spend now, find the money later" zeitgeist.
July 03, 2009
Donor logos for Congress
By Stuart M. Butler
Americans are pretty cynical about politicians. And much of that distrust springs from the professional politician's love of money.
June 18, 2009
Why the Kennedy Health Bill Would Wreck Bipartisan Reform
By Robert E. Moffit and Stuart M. Butler
Based on the President's description of his health care agenda during the 2008 presidential campaign, Americans believe they were promised three things
June 05, 2009
Congress, read it before voting
By Stuart Butler
Wouldn't it be nice if Congress actually knew what it was doing? Never mind what your politics are, there is something very wrong with a democracy in which lawmakers routinely vote on huge bills they have not even read. In fact, congressional bills have become so large and complex -- and the time between lawmakers receiving copies and voting on bills often so short -- that it is literally impossible for them to read much of the legislation than affects our daily lives.
May 22, 2009
Health care cure seen in tax code
By Stuart Butler
Call it Brewster's tax code. When it comes to health coverage, our tax system is a variation on "Brewster's Millions."
May 08, 2009
Give union workers merit boost
By Stuart Butler
Not if you're one of 8 million union members working under a collective bargaining agreement. These agreements structure pay for all workers. They set a negotiated "floor" for wages, assuring that each worker is legally protected against from being paid less than the negotiated rate.
April 24, 2009
Donor logos for Congress?
By Stuart M. Butler
Americans are pretty cynical about politicians. And much of that distrust springs from the professional politician's love of money.
April 10, 2009
Farmer bailouts must be revised
By Stuart Butler
Megabillion-dollar bailouts are in today's headlines. But let's not forget the longest-running bailout of all - the roughly $25 billion subsidy showered annually on just some of America's farmers.
March 27, 2009
Perils of a public health plan
By Stuart Butler
There is a lot wrong with America's health system. People can lose their coverage if they switch jobs. Working families beset with chronic medical problems may be unable to get affordable coverage.
March 13, 2009
Dumping 'smart growth' is wise
By Stuart Butler
America is still trying to sort out the housing mess that helped trigger the recession. So far, most of the focus has been on how mortgage companies induced many modest-income families to get too deep into debt.
February 27, 2009
Time for sequel to welfare reform
By Stuart Butler
It was the "end of welfare as we know it." Those were the triumphant words of then-President Clinton as he signed the bipartisan welfare-reform bill of 1996.
February 13, 2009
Congress needs cover to reform entitlements
By Stuart M. Butler
The price tag is stunning. Pegged at nearly $800 billion - a figure that doesn't even include interest payments - the so-called "stimulus" bill sets an all-time record for deficit spending by a single bill.
January 30, 2009
Nuclear power is true 'green' energy
By Stuart M. Butler
Never mind lower gasoline prices. Worries about energy security and the environment continue to boost pressure for alternative energy sources. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin´s temporary halting of natural gas to Europe this winter in a payment dispute underscored once again how vulnerable the West is to energy blackmail. And even though the link between climate change and fossil fuel use is still debated, Americans want "greener" energy.
January 16, 2009
Florida's school strategy a success
By Stuart M. Butler
Seven years ago, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, billed as an antidote to what ails America's public schools.
But if President-elect Barack Obama wants to improve our education system, he should look at what Jeb Bush did in Florida, not what George W. Bush signed in Washington.
The No Child Left Behind Act, also known as NCLB, has been a troubled program. It stripped away much local school autonomy and expanded red tape and micromanagement from Washington-based bureaucrats.
2008 Commentary
November 18, 2008
Think Small
By Stuart M. Butler
In this installment of Health Care Watch, Stuart M. Butler and Ezekiel Emanuel talk about what President-elect Barack Obama should and shouldn't do on health care reform.
November 18, 2008
Rebuild economic confidence by reforming entitlements
By Robert Bixby, Stuart Butler and Isabel Sawhill
Washington may bail out Wall Street. But who will bail out Washington?
November 14, 2008
Exchange We Can Believe In
By Stuart Butler
The president-elect didn't invent the idea of a health exchange. He came up with his own version of an idea that's been refined by people like us at the Heritage Foundation and already field tested. Frankly, we prefer the original.
October 31, 2008
Memo to Congress: Make jobs, not work
By Stuart Butler
Time after time, Congress has used a recession to revive bad ideas, based on bad history. Meanwhile, good ideas of proven utility go overlooked.
October 17, 2008
Deflate balloon of entitlements
By Stuart Butler
The Wall Street meltdown has sent shock waves through the economy. But it's nothing compared to what's coming if Washington fails to address - properly and soon - its unfunded obligations for Medicare, Social Security and other federal entitlement programs.
October 03, 2008
Vouchers benefit foster children
By Stuart Butler
More than a half-million children are in foster care. By definition, they've had it tough. Social service agencies hesitate to remove children from their natural homes absent unmistakable signs of truly serious problems, such as neglect or abuse.
September 04, 2008
Making savings the default option
By Stuart Butler
Americans don't save anymore. The U.S. savings rate actually went negative in 2005 -- the first time that's happened since the Great Depression.
July 26, 2008
'Roll back the tax cuts': An exercise in shady financing
By Stuart Butler
It's an election year, so politicians are merrily promising voters all kinds of shiny new programs.
2007 Commentary
November 04, 2007
A commission offers solution without the grandstanding
By Stuart Butler
Gloomy forecasts from Washington show that because of a tsunami wave of entitlement spending starting when the baby boom generation starts to retire next year, balancing the budget would mean forcing up taxes to unprecedented levels.
October 16, 2007
PRO-CON: Should Congress boost taxes on private equity firms?
By Stuart Butler
Proposals now before Congress to "reform" the tax treatment of private equity partnerships would substantially increase taxes. Some estimates put the size of the increase at as much as $100 billion over 10 years for some versions of the legislation.
October 11, 2007
After SCHIP: Building a Healthy System for Kids
By Stuart Butler
Now that President Bush has vetoed a plan that would have greatly expanded the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, it’s time to skip the recriminations and get busy crafting a compromise that actually works.
May 14, 2007
A Bipartisan Push on Healthcare
By Stuart Butler and Henry Aaron
Washington remains deadlocked over healthcare reform, but a solution to this long-term problem may be close. The lack of federal action has spurred many states to act on their own to reform their healthcare systems.
February 21, 2007
Scale back debt, costly retirement entitlements
By Stuart Butler
A family moves into a big, expensive house that Mom and Dad couldn't resist. It's soon obvious, though, that after groceries, utilities, gasoline and other necessities, there's not nearly enough money left to pay the monthly mortgage.
2006 Commentary
December 29, 2006
A Bipartisan Push to Break the Health Reform Logjam
By Stuart Butler and Henry Aaron
Heated bickering and bitter partisanship marked the ’06 campaign trail. But something quite different—and far more hopeful—was happening quietly on Capitol Hill: Bipartisan groups of House and Senate members joined together to support bills that make a serious effort to help the nearly 50 million Americans who lack health insurance.
January 13, 2006
What Do Moderates Want?
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
When Congress reconvenes this month, lawmakers likely will try to resolve their bitter standoff over the budget. Which raises an interesting question: What do the self-styled moderates on both sides of the aisle actually want?
They have made it clear what they don't want: No serious reductions in federal anti-poverty programs. No unbalanced budgets. No significant changes in Medicare. No interference with Congress' power to bring taxpayer-funded pork projects back to their states.
2005 Commentary
September 14, 2005
Lose the rules
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
Hurricane Katrina has left the congressional agenda in shambles. The sole priority during the legislators' first week back from recess was passing a $51.8-billion relief package for the Gulf Coast.
April 13, 2005
The Social Security Crisis Gets Personal
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
The debate over Social Security reform so far has centered on the concern that, as the number of retirees balloons, the program won't be able to pay its promised benefits.
February 09, 2005
Schizophrenic Over Social Security
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
I'm confused. I'm 57, and ever since you enticed me into AARP with those great discounts, I've been tying to figure out your position on Social Security reform.
January 13, 2005
Refinancing our Future
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
Imagine for a moment you're talking to a financial adviser about refinancing your mortgage to get a lower interest rate and cut your total finance charges. "You shouldn't do it," he says.
2004 Commentary
February 23, 2004
Resuscitating Health Care: Bush Plan a Good First Step
By Stuart Butler and Nina Owcharenko
What's the best way to help Americans who lack health insurance because they can't afford it? Some say universal health care is the answer. But there's a far better solution, especially for those wisely skeptical of one-size-fits-all remedies from Washington.
2003 Commentary
September 23, 2003
Bush Holds the Nation's Health in His Hands
By Stuart Butler
Rather than wait for Congress, the president must take the lead in the debate on Medicare reforms.
July 06, 2003
Four Steps to Better Health Care
By Stuart M. Butler and Henry J. Aaron
To break out of today's ideological impasse, we must agree that while some basic federal standards are needed, states as diverse as Oregon, Utah, Texas and Massachusetts must be free to adopt diverse strategies to reach those who are uninsured.
June 17, 2003
Medicare Drug Bill an Impending Disaster
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
With the support of the Bush administration, or at least with its acquiescence, Congress appears on course to enact a huge new entitlement aimed at middle-income Americans. President Bush likely will sign whatever Medicare drug bill emerges.
2001 Commentary
November 29, 2001
Farm Subsidies: Parental Guidance Needed
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
Farm Subsidies: Parental Guidance Needed
2000 Commentary
August 03, 2000
At 65, Social Security Should Retire
By Stuart Butler
At 65, Social Security Should Retire
1999 Commentary
June 23, 1999
Keep the Spending Floodgates Closed
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
Keep the Spending Floodgates Closed
November 23, 2009
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feeds