New Directions in Health Policy
A Discussion of the President's Tax-Based Health Insurance Proposals
Friday, February 9
The Brookings Institution: Falk Auditorium,
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC
1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
President Bush has proposed a new plan to use the tax code to expand health insurance coverage. Supporters of the proposal argue that it would help millions of Americans who lack insurance, gain coverage; level the playing field between employer-based and individual ?non-group? insurance plans; and remove the incentive to overspend on health care through overly generous employer-funded insurance plans. Opponents call it a dangerous and misguided attack on an employment-based system that works well for most working-age Americans and their families.
On February 9, the Tax Policy Center, a joint project of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute, will gather some of the nation's foremost experts to discuss the issues raised by the President's proposal. The first panel will consider the benefits and challenges of the President's plan; the second panel will explore the best ways for the nation to make the health care market work for all Americans.
In each panel, speakers will take audience questions.
1:00 p.m. - Panel 1
The Administration's Proposals
Moderator:
William G. Gale, co-director, Tax Policy Center, and vice president and director of Economic Studies Program, Brookings Institution
Panelists:
Kate Baicker, Member, President's Council of Economic Advisers
Henry Aaron, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Linda Blumberg, Principal Research Associate, Urban Institute
Len Burman, Director, Tax Policy Center, and Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
2:00 p.m. - Panel 2
Where Should We Go From Here? Health and Tax Policy for the 21st Century
Moderator:
Robert Reischauer, President, Urban Institute
Panelists:
Mark McClellan, Senior Fellow, AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies
Mark Duggan, Visiting Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Jeanne Lambrew, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Gene Steuerle, Co-Director, Tax Policy Center, and Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
To RSVP please call the Brookings Office of Communications, 202/797-6105 or visit http://onlinepressroom.net/brookings/
For further reading see:
The President's Health Insurance Proposal - A First Look
Prescribing Better Under Bush's Health Plan
The President's Health Care Proposal Misses the Point
Economic Challenges Facing Middle Class Families
Health Insurance and the American Tax System Webpage
