News
Why is spending on health care slowing?
5+ day, 11+ hour ago (1588+ words) In 2010, the U. S. government projected that Americans would spend about $6 trillion dollars on health care, a little over 21% of GDP, in 2024. The actual amount spent was almost $1 trillion less. In fact, health care spending has been below projections almost every year…...
Has the United States bent the health care cost curve?
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (480+ words) See the spring 2026 BPEA event page to watch paper presentations and read summaries of all the papers from this edition. Submit a proposal to present at a future BPEA conferencehere. The growth of health care spending in the United States…...
One Big Beautiful Bill? A preliminary assessment
1+ mon, 1+ week ago (147+ words) The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025" (OBBBA), signed into law July 4, 2025, is a sweeping tax-and-spending package that could reshape federal fiscal policy for decades to come. "In a new paper, we provide a comprehensive but, of course, preliminary analysis…...
Comments on the 2027 Medicare Advantage and Part D proposed rule
3+ mon, 1+ week ago (164+ words) The author submitted the comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on January 26, 2026. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued a proposed rule that would make changes to Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part…...
Matthew Fiedler's testimony on reducing private health insurance premiums
4+ mon, 2+ week ago (166+ words) The following testimony was given to the U. S. Congress Joint Economic Committee on December 17, 2025. Video of the hearing is available'here.' Matthew Fiedler testified at a hearing held by the U. S. Congress Joint Economic Committee to discuss how policymakers can reduce premiums for…...
A little-known way the tax code subsidizes spending on health care
5+ mon, 2+ week ago (562+ words) The tax savings from the IMD can be determined by calculating the tax liability with and without deductible medical expenses included and finding the difference. For a given reduction in taxable income, the tax savings is typically larger for higher-income…...
Why are expiring ACA subsidies raising health insurance premiums?
5+ mon, 3+ week ago (971+ words) Here to talk about the causes and possible responses to this challenge is Matt Fiedler, the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and the Center on Health Policy. Matt, welcome to The Current. DEWS: So, why are Americans enrolled…...
One Big, Beautiful Bill complicates charitable giving
10+ mon, 3+ week ago (267+ words) Under the bill, the tax treatment of charitable giving changes in three ways: Other provisions would indirectly affect charitable giving. By raising the standard deduction and only partially loosening the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's (TCJA) cap on the state…...
The hidden costs of expanding HSAs in One Big, Beautiful Bill
10+ mon, 4+ week ago (309+ words) Established in 2003, HSAs are savings accounts that can be used to pay for medical services. To be eligible, individuals must be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) that has with a deductible of at least $1, 600 for individuals ($3, 200 for families)…...
Any way you look at it you lose: Medicaid work requirements will either fall short of anticipating savings or harm vulnerable beneficiaries
10+ mon, 4+ week ago (114+ words) About 4 million people who had not been adjudicated as qualifying for SSI worked fewer than 80 hours per month and reported that they had activity limitations. If qualifying for Medicaid became more difficult, it is likely that a fraction of this…...