Blog
Welcome to our blog – The Bottom Line, where you’ll find up-to-date commentary and analysis on the most important news in the fiscal world. Below is a list of our blog posts.
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Will Repealing “Obamacare” Fix the Debt?
Some candidates may propose to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as “Obamacare,” in order to solve the fiscal situation. But repealing...
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Is There No Harm in Waiting to Solve Our Debt Problems?
Another debt myth is that even if the long-term debt outlook is a problem, there is no need to address the debt now – it can be dealt with later. This...
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Can We Dramatically Lower Tax Rates by Closing a Few Egregious Loopholes?
Candidates who propose tax reform plans that are revenue-neutral may suggest that the cost of tax rate reductions can be offset by closing egregious...
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Can Social Security’s Shortfall Be Closed Simply by Raising Taxes on or Means-Testing Benefits for the Wealthy?
Increasing the amount of wages subject to Social Security payroll taxes from the current $118,500 cap would raise more revenue and improve the...
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Is a Balanced Budget Amendment All We Need to Fix the Debt?
Many candidates will suggest some form of a balanced budget amendment (BBA). Even in the best case, such an amendment is a supplement rather than a...
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Is the Health Care Cost Problem Solved?
The U.S. has been experiencing very low health care cost growth by historical standards since 2009, and projec- tions of federal health care spending...
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Can We Grow Our Way Out of Debt?
Suggesting that the U.S. can grow our way out of debt – increasing economic growth to stabilize or shrink debt as a share of GDP – is a popular idea...
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Can We Fix the Debt Solely by Cutting Welfare Spending?
Some candidates may suggest that we can fix the debt simply by cutting welfare spending, but there is not enough spending in this category to...
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Can We Solve Our Debt Situation by Cutting Waste, Fraud, Abuse, Earmarks, and/or Foreign Aid?
When asked how they will fix the debt, many candidates may point to seemingly painless solutions such as reducing fraud, ending earmarks, or cutting...
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Is Deficit Reduction Code for Austerity, Which Will Harm the Economy?
Some policymakers and commentators have conflated calls for deficit reduction with calls for austerity. It is true that some countries have enacted...
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Are Medicare and Social Security Earned Benefits that Should Not Be Touched?
Although Social Security and Medicare are two of the fastest growing programs in the budget, many argue against making adjustments to these programs...
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Gene Steuerle: Why Health Cost Growth Increases after Estimators Say it’s Slowing: Observer Effects and Feedback Loops
Dr. Eugene (Gene) Steuerle is the Richard B. Fisher chair and Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute and a member of the Committee for a Responsible...