Health Care Primer
The United States health care system is larger than the gross domestic product of all but five other nations.
Analysis & Indicators
Trust Fund Accounting Obscures Fiscal Problems of Social Security and Medicare
July 20, 2017Every year the trustees of Social Security and Medicare issue detailed reports on the financial status of these programs. While the trustees’ reports consistently warn that both programs face serious shortfalls, the urgency of this warning is often undercut by undue attention to the years in which the Social Security trust funds and the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund are projected to become insolvent.
CBO Analysis Raises Doubts on White House Budget
July 17, 2017The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) last week published its official analysis of the presid
K Street Ups Pressure for Congress to Raise Debt Limit
July 17, 2017CQ Roll Call
Topics
Debt Limit
Discretionary Spending
Economy
Federal Budget
Lobbyist for financial services and business groups are putting more pressure on Congress to quickly raise the debt limit and fund the government “without drama,” according to a July 17 s
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Trust Fund Accounting Obscures Fiscal Problems of Social Security and Medicare
July 20, 2017Every year the trustees of Social Security and Medicare issue detailed reports on the financial status of these programs. While the trustees’ reports consistently warn that both programs face serious shortfalls, the urgency of this warning is often undercut by undue attention to the years in which the Social Security trust funds and the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) trust fund are projected to become insolvent.
Doing Nothing is Not a Plan to Fix Social Security
July 19, 2017Social Security is the largest program in the federal budget, accounting for almost 24 cents out of every dollar spent by the government in 2016. The program consists of two main components: Old Age and Survivors Insurance, which provides benefits to 49 million retired individuals and their dependents, and their survivors; and Disability Insurance, which pays benefits to 11 million workers with disabilities and their dependents.
Making Health Care Programs Sustainable Depends on Controlling Costs
July 18, 2017Health care programs are the largest and fastest growing in the federal budget. These programs include Medicare (providing health insurance for older Americans), Medicaid (providing health insurance for lower-income Americans), the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and subsidies for individuals to purchase private health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Currently they comprise almost 30 cents out of every dollar spent by the federal government.