Author Archives
Stuart M. Butler, PhD, is a Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.
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JAMA Forum: Don’t Let Budget Cuts Wreck Medicare Reform
Congressional House leaders plan legislation this year to tackle deficits by curbing entitlements, just weeks after digging a deeper deficit hole with a tax plan that will add an estimated $1.5 trillion to the national debt over the next 10… Read More ›
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JAMA Forum: Building Blocks for Addressing Social Determinants of Health
Our health care system is waking up to the fact that the health of individuals and families does not depend solely on good coverage and good medical care; it also requires us to address social and other factors that are… Read More ›
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JAMA Forum: State Flexibility for Medicaid: How Much?
President Trump’s budget proposal and the recent House health legislation included substantial reductions in Medicaid. Understandably, those cuts have focused attention on the potential effect on coverage for lower-income individuals. But there’s another important and related conversation that needs attention:… Read More ›
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JAMA Forum: Why Replacing the ACA Has Republicans in a Tizzy
Recently, President Trump correctly described health care policy making as “unbelievably complex”—although his comment that “nobody knew that” must have been a surprise to the many analysts and lawmakers who for decades have worked on health care reform. Health care… Read More ›
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JAMA Forum: Repeal and Replace Obamacare: What Could It Mean?
Donald Trump’s pledge to “repeal and replace Obamacare” was one of his biggest crowd pleasers. It’s been noted, of course, that “repeal and replacing” is easier said than done, and indeed the President-elect has already begun to fudge. But moving… Read More ›
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JAMA Forum: Action on the ACA Next Year? Maybe.
What are the prospects for action on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) during the next Congress and presidential administration? There is no easy answer to that question in this unusual election year, although one’s first reaction might be “not much.”… Read More ›
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JAMA Forum: Using Intermediaries to Improve Health
As we explore the social determinants of health, we are discovering some very important things. One is that compared with other developed countries, the United States spends a much higher proportion of resources on medical services to treat people than… Read More ›
