Federal spending mandated by our major entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) today comprises the majority of the federal budget and will bankrupt the United States absent imminent structural reforms.
Not only do these entitlement programs drain federal spending dollars, but they don’t do a particularly good job of delivering promised services and benefits. Social Security provides a shameful rate of return for most recipients, especially when compared with private sector alternatives. And seniors and the poor are finding it increasingly difficult to find a doctor who will accept Medicare or Medicaid patients.
IPI has proposed specific, concrete solutions that would not only make these programs solvent and sustainable, but also deliver superior benefits. Entitlements should not be reformed solely for the benefit of the federal government, but also for the benefit of taxpayers and recipients.
Trying to Understand the Declining Labor Force Participation Rate
It's tempting to blame President Obama and his economic policies for the unprecedented decline in the labor force participation rate. And while those policies may have exacerbated the trend, the decline has been occurring for years.
Obama's SOTU Proposals Could Put More Than 57% Of The Public On The Federal Dole
Adding in President Obama’s costly new entitlement programs outlined in his State of the Union address could put a back-of-the-envelope estimate of about 180 million Americans on the government dole.
Minimum Wage Increase Is Another Form of Income Redistribution
Welfare programs are not the only way President Obama seeks to redistribute income. Raising the minimum wage is also an income redistribution scheme, from employers to workers, without having to pass through the government.
Obama's Amnesty Will Create A Fiscal Nightmare For Entitlements
In one executive order Obama may have created his biggest income transfer scheme yet, and imposed the worst financial challenge to our two already-struggling retirement programs. And millions of Americans can expect to see their taxes go up in the future to pay for it.
These Two States Cut Medicaid ... And Saved Money
Illinois and Pennsylvania were the two case studies the IPI used to illustrate Medicaid reform.
Matthews: How Two States Cut Medicaid and Saved Money
States are struggling with the explosive growth and cost of Medicaid, and those states that have accepted Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion will especially struggle when Washington stops covering the full cost in a few years. But a new publication discusses how Illinois and Pennsylvania have found ways to significantly curb Medicaid spending by redetermining enrollees’ eligibility, and other states should take note.
How Two States Cut Medicaid and Saved Money
States are looking for ways to reduce their exploding Medicaid spending. Two states, Illinois and Pennsylvania, found a way to do just that: by examining their Medicaid and welfare rolls and removing people who don't belong.
Benefit of Pensions Shown to Be Widespread
Determining how much of the increase in health-care premiums can be attributed to the ACA is tricky, IPI reports. Increases are based on actuarial estimates which are educated guesses about factors including the estimated ratio of sick and healthy people in a particular insurance pool, the normal growth in health-care costs, and government regulations.
All Quiet, Too Quiet, In Allocation Nation
IPI's Merrill Matthews analyzed 2013 Census Bureau data and Affordable Care Act figures and concluded that about 52 percent of American households receive benefits from one or more government programs. These figures cut through Democratic spin and make clear that a majority of American households do not pay anywhere near their pro rata share of government spending. This has important implications for both public policy and politics.
Taxpayers' Share of Federal Debt Is Down - To One Million
Wouldn’t it be good policy, as well as good finances, that instead of every taxpayer owing $1 million, they owned $1 million—the result of a lifetime of saving their payroll taxes rather than handing them over to big-spending Uncle Sam?
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