Author Archives

Stuart M. Butler, PhD, is Director of the Center for Policy Innovation at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC.

• JAMA Forum: Is Medicaid Expansion Really a No-Brainer for States?

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on April 3, 2013

  

  Even after the Supreme Court struck down a requirement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that required states to expand Medicaid coverage to low-income individuals,* states still seemed to have a juicy carrot to do so. That’s because 100% of… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: Are Health Costs Really Slowing?

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on January 16, 2013

  

  A recent report from the actuaries at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has the Washington community all atwitter because it may suggest that health costs are permanently slowing down. The CMS team found that health spending slowed… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: End of the Threat to Obamacare? Not at All

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on November 8, 2012

  

  President Obama’s narrow victory has left proponents of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) breathing a collective sigh of relief, believing that the legislation is safe. It’s true, of course, that the election’s outcome has ended the prospect of a new… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: Confronting the Problem of Long-term Care

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on September 27, 2012

  

  Although the health care debate this election year is focused primarily on coverage for physician and hospital services, the growing cost of long-term care (LTC) is fast becoming a problem we can no longer ignore. With millions of baby boomers… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: Time for a Serious National Debate About Medicare Reform

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on August 22, 2012

  

  With Rep Paul Ryan (R, Wis) now Governor Romney’s running mate, Medicare reform is front and center in the election debate. This development could provide a chance to have a serious national debate about the program. But it could also… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: How Can We Spur Organizational Innovation to Fix US Health Care?

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on July 18, 2012

  

  The American health system is among the most innovative in the world. We are at the leading edge in developing breakthrough drugs, inventing effective and less invasive surgeries, and tackling cancer. But we seem to fall down flat in one… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: It’s Time to Remake Medicaid

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on June 6, 2012

  

  For states struggling with the burgeoning costs of Medicaid, neither of the 2 likely postelection scenarios is attractive. If Obama is reelected, the Medicaid elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) survive the Supreme Court, and Republicans can’t turn back… Read More ›

• JAMA Forum: The Debate Over How to Rein in Medicare Costs

  By Stuart Butler, PhD on April 13, 2012

  

  As we wait for the Supreme Court to rule on the health reform law’s mandate that all US individuals purchase health insurance, it’s a good time to turn our attention to other core elements of reform that will be debated… Read More ›