Our Health Policy Matters

As President Obama begins his second term, he does so with an expansive vision for America. “America's possibilities are limitless,” he said in his inaugural address , “for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands:  youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.   My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it - so long as we seize it together.” There are many potential roadblocks toward achieving that bold vision.  One is the myth that entitlement reform must be a part of it. The reason that entitlement reform is at the top of some political agendas has nothing to do with the growth in entitlement programs today. Some people with these agendas don’t like any government-run programs and won’t listen to the facts about them.  Those who do look at the facts see the rapid growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending through 2009.  Accor...

As President Obama begins his second term, he does so with an expansive vision for America. “America's possibilities are limitless,” he said in his inaugural address , “for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands:  youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention.   My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it - so long as we seize it together.” There are many potential roadblocks toward achieving that bold vision.  One is the myth that entitlement reform must be a part of it. The reason that entitlement reform is at the top of some political agendas has nothing to do with the growth in entitlement programs today. Some people with these agendas don’t like any government-run programs and won’t listen to the facts about them.  Those who do look at the facts see the rapid growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending through 2009.  Accor...