Unplugging the Third Rail: Choices for Affordable Medicare

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Medicare expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) are now six times larger than they were in 1967. Without intervention, Medicare’s share of GDP will force some combination of substantial cuts in other government spending, significantly higher taxes, and unhealthy levels of public debt. A new paper by John F. Early identifies the minimum changes required to prevent further expansion of Medicare’s share of GDP, while retaining the existing structure of the program.

The ACA’s Pre‐​existing Condition Regulations Lose Support When the Public Learns the Cost

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Days before the 2018 midterms, 68% of voters say that health care is very or extremely important to how they plan to vote in this year’s elections, according to a new Cato 2018 Health Care Survey of 2,498 Americans. The survey also finds that public support for pre‐​existing condition regulation drops from 65% in favor to less than half once trade‐​offs and costs are considered, which goes against the widespread perception among the political punditry that pre‐​existing condition regulations are necessarily and universally supported by voters across the political spectrum.

Is Obamacare Now Truly Optional?

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At long last, the Trump administration has created a “freedom option” for people suffering under Obamacare. A final rulemaking issued last week reverses an Obama‐​era regulation that exposed the sick to medical underwriting. The new rule will expand consumer protections for the sick, cover up to two million uninsured people, reduce premiums for millions more, protect conscience rights, and make Obamacare’s costs more transparent.

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