Immediate Issues

Targeting Subsidies: Employers versus Individuals

Recent congressional proposals and reforms advocated by the presidential candidates have renewed the debate about whether the problem of the uninsured is best addressed through subsidies to employers or to individuals. In this brief, the authors argue that it is more efficient to provide subsidies directly to individuals and families than to employers. Read more

Can a Public Insurance Plan Increase Competition and Lower the Costs of Health Reform?

Senator Barack Obama, along with others, has proposed developing a public plan that would compete with private insurers within an organized health insurance marketplace. The argument is that a public plan would have lower administrative costs and more ability to control provider payment rates. This paper assesses these arguments concluding that there would be administrative cost savings and lower provider payment rates but not as much as is often asserted. Read more

Other Immediate Issues:
Health Insurance Coverage of Young Adults: Issues and Broader Considerations
Are We Heading Toward Socialized Medicine?