America's health care financing and insurance systems need major reform. Policymakers should take decisive steps to move today's bureaucracy driven, heavily regulated third-party payment system to a new patient-centered system of consumer choice and real free-market competition. In such a system, individuals and families would make the key decisions and control the dollars.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
The Heritage Foundation offers a detailed plan to redesign entitlement programs, guarantee assistance to those who need it, and save the American dream for future generations. Read More.
Fulfilling their promise to voters, the U.S House of Representatives has already taken critical steps toward full repeal of Obamacare. But Congress cannot stop at repeal. Read More.
Building on decades of Heritage research, The Case Against Obamacare: A Health Care Policy Series for the 112th Congress examines 15 key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Read More.
“What does the new health care law mean for me?” Whether you're a mom, an employer, or a doctor, this series provides the answer - with videos, blog posts and more featuring the stories of Americans affected by Obamacare. Read More.
The recent proposal by Representative Paul Ryan (R–WI) and Senator Ron Wyden (D–OR) showcases the growing, and bipartisan, agreement that premium support is the path forward for saving Medicare.[1] Premium support is a financing arrangement where the government makes a defined contribution to the health plan of an… Read more
Abstract: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued final regulations for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The outcome is disappointing: There are marginal changes only; the final regulations retain the same flawed structure set out in… Read more
Statement before Committee on Finance United States Senate July 7, 2011 … Read more
In this week's Heritage in Focus podcast, Dr. Bob Moffit discusses his new paper, "Obamacare Ends Medicare As We Know It." David Weinberger hosts. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. To listen to more Heritage… Read more
The much-awaited release of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) priorities and research agenda lacks specifics and fails to answer concerns that its research findings will ultimately be used to limit treatment options. The PCORI was created in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)… Read more
We Need Medicare Reform, but Not Obamacare Obamacare Ends Traditional Medicare, but the Wrong Way: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed that the health law… Read more
Abstract: In March 2012, two years after the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the Supreme Court will hear challenges to the federal health care legislation. One issue the court will take up is whether the PPACA’s Medicaid expansion constitutes… Read more
Abstract: In 2003, the Medicare Modernization Act created the Medicare Advantage program, which allowed seniors to choose coverage from private health plans. Both recent research published in The American Journal of Managed Care … Read more
Abstract: The current trend of rapidly rising health care costs is unsustainable. Many proposed reforms to curb spending rely on some type of rationing imposed by an unaccountable government body. A better alternative would be to allow individual consumers to make their own decisions… Read more
Abstract: Beginning in the 1990s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made significant progress in reviewing applications for new drugs and medical devices in a timely manner, but under the most recent reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), the review process… Read more
Abstract: The nationalized health care system pushed by President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats has been signed into law. Policymakers and private citizens across the country are rebelling against what they see as an intrusion of the federal government into state and individual rights. On April… Read more
Private-sector job creation initially recovered from the recession at a normal rate, leading to predictions last year of a “Recovery Summer.” Since April 2010, however, net private-sector job creation has stalled. Within two months of the passage of Obamacare, the job market stopped improving. This suggests that businesses are not… Read more
Abstract: Medicare spending, a major driver of the federal debt, is expected to jump from $522.8 billion in 2010 to $932 billion in 2020. Instead of resorting to the traditional “solutions” of raising taxes, cutting benefits, or cutting payments to health care providers, Congress… Read more
Leading Members of Congress and certain officials in the Obama Administration are reportedly considering changes to the federal tax treatment of health insurance as a means of financing health reform.[1] If there is one area in health policy where there is a powerful consensus among serious analysts, conservative and liberal alike, it… Read more
Americans want health care reform—but not the reforms put in place under the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act (PPACA). The new law moves America’s health care system in the wrong direction, transferring vast powers to Washington bureaucrats who will control the dollars and decisions that should be in… Read more
Undermining State Authority Flexibility in Name Only: States have played a significant role in developing unique and innovative approaches to address the health care needs of their citizens. During the 08 campaign, then-candidate Obama promoted the idea of state flexibility, but as President he replaced this embrace of flexibility with an embrace of federal… Read more
Recent drug shortages have received national attention as patients are forced to wait for vital treatments or substitute an alternative. As Congress searches for policy solutions, it is crucial that lawmakers understand the role that government price controls, specifically in Medicare, have played in the crisis. … Read more
Abstract: Fifty years ago, America began a grand experiment by transferring to the federal government the fiscal responsibility for individuals with mental illnesses. During that half-century, it has become increasingly clear that the experiment has been a costly failure, both in terms of human… Read more
Abstract: The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction—the “Super Committee”—created under the Budget Control Act of 2011 has failed to recommend a strategy for reducing the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next decade, leaving automatic cuts of 2 percent on… Read more
Click here to join us right now for our "Lunch with Heritage" chat. We are joined by Health Policy expert Kate Nix. She...… Read more
The enormous storm brewing over health care in the last several years has included debate on everything from costs of...… Read more
The Obama Administration's mandate under the Obamacare statute that many religious employers provide health care...… Read more
As budget season approaches, premium support is gaining traction as the only viable option to save Medicare. In a recent...… Read more
In this week's Heritage in Focus, expert Bob Moffit discusses how Obamacare ends Medicare as we know it. Click here to...… Read more
Monday on The Daily Show, comedian Jon Stewart interviewed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen...… Read more
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently released a report that reviewed 10 Medicare demonstrations designed with...… Read more
It may be only a few days since Congress began its new session, but it has already done some decent work. This week, the...… Read more
Dark clouds hover over the nation’s finances and threaten a perfect storm of massive debt and crushing taxation unless...… Read more
The Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published its annual estimate...… Read more
Distinguished Fellow and Director, Center for Policy Innovation
Senior Research Fellow, Health Policy Studies
Visiting Fellow
Grover M. Hermann Senior Fellow in Federal Budgetary Affairs
Senior Fellow
Policy Analyst
Director, Health Policy Studies