Contributor
Stuart Butler, Vice President for Domestic Policy, Heritage Foundation
Related Link:
http://www.heritage.org/about/staff/stuartbutler.cfm
Biography provided by participant
Stuart Butler is Vice-President for Domestic and Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation in Washington DC. He plans and oversees the Foundation's research and publications on all domestic issues. He is an expert on health, welfare and Social Security policy. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Graduate School and has been a Fellow at Harvard University's Institute of Politics. He is widely recognized as an individual who is willing to work with people across the ideological spectrum to find solutions to the nation's health care problems.
Recent Responses
July 26, 2010 10:20 AM
"OPM Alternative" is the Public Option The Democrats’ new public option proposal underscores the point I made recently that the “health reform wars have only just begun.” Issues like the public option; who will ultimately run the exchanges; and how we will actually control health spending all remain in play and will have to be resolved. The public option would “resolve” the spending problem by simply forcing down payments and prices until spending declines. In an accounting sense that will work, as CBO shows, but only by hollowing out health benefits as doctors leave, quality suffers and waiting lists…
Read moreJune 18, 2010 02:02 PM
Erosion Wasn't in the Plan Uwe is quite right: I do support a transition to individually owned and portable coverage within an exchange system -- particularly for those currently in the small business sector -- with employers handling the paperwork but not organizing insurance. I wrote about this before Obama was elected. But it just needs to be noted that this is not what the reform plan promised to do. I seem to remember: "If you are happy with what you have, nothing will change.' Moreover, while I proposed an orderly transition, for the reasons I mentioend below this is going to be a…
Read moreJune 14, 2010 06:06 PM
Bye Bye Small Business Coverage The health legislation will accelerate the erosion of employer-based coverage, especially among small business. In particular, the huge differential in subsidies available for employees in exchange plans (up to around $10,000 for family coverage) compared with help for similar employees with employer plans (a few hundred dollars in tax benefits) will make it increasingly irrational for employers to offer coverage and employees to request it. Modest tax credits to smaller employers are fiscally inefficient and will do little or nothing to encourage coverage.…
Read moreJune 9, 2010 10:07 PM
Please Pay for Reform The President and congressional leaders pledged to pay for "every dime" of new health spending during these days of soaring deficits. But ever since it was signed the game has been to point in horror to devices in the bill to satisfy that pledge (eg cutting Medicare doc fees by one-fifth) and tthen to try to"fix" them by hiding items in other bills. No wonder Americans have lost trust in government. Jennifer Luray and Pete Stark point to items they say need to be added back to health programs or added to the legislation. Many would agree, though…
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