title: The Obama plan: more regulation, unsustainable spending.
abstract: The health reform plan put forth by Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) focuses on expanding insurance coverage and provides new subsidies to individuals, small businesses, and businesses experiencing catastrophic expenses. It greatly increases the federal regulation of private insurance but does not address the core economic incentives that drive health care spending. This omission along with the very substantial short-term savings claimed raise serious questions about its fiscal sustainability. Heavy regulation coupled with a fallback National Health Plan and a play-or-pay financing choice also raise questions about the future of the employer insurance market.
authors.affiliation: American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Antos
authors.forename: Gail
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilensky
authors.forename: Hanns
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kuttner
mesh_terms: D005380:Financing, Government; D033161:Government Regulation; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011057:Politics; D014481:United States