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A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-wide Cost Containment

June 7, 2013 Comments off

A Bipartisan Rx for Patient-Centered Care and System-wide Cost Containment

Source: Bipartisan Policy Center

High and rising health care costs consume a large and rapidly growing portion of the federal budget, crowding out investments in other crucial priorities such as education, defense and infrastructure and putting pressure on other priorities of households, businesses and governments.

This trend will only accelerate with the aging of the population and its increased dependence on federal and state financing of health care. Yet despite our high national spending, health care in the United States is uneven in quality and often wasteful, uncoordinated and inefficient. Leaders on both sides of the political aisle, and in the health and economic policy communities, recognize the urgency of improving the quality and effectiveness of care, while slowing the growth of spending. However, far too often, attempts to address our nation’s health and budget issues have been fragmented and unproductive, frequently due to partisan disagreements over how to approach these highly sensitive issues.

We, the four leaders of the Bipartisan Policy Center Health Care Cost Containment Initiative, came together to bridge this divide—to start a constructive dialogue on strengthening the U.S. health care system.

Categories: Bipartisan Policy Center, business and economics, government and politics, health and health care, health care reform

America’s Housing Future: New Directions for National Policy

February 26, 2013 Comments off

America’s Housing Future: New Directions for National Policy

Source: Bipartisan Policy Center

From press release:

A bipartisan commission of former Cabinet secretaries, former Senators and other leading housing and economic experts unveiled a new vision for housing policy today, which aims to further our nation’s economic recovery and improve the lives of millions of Americans. The recommendations propose scaling back the government role in the nation’s housing finance system and reforming housing assistance programs to better meet the needs of America’s most vulnerable households.

The commission is co-chaired by former Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, former Senator Christopher S. “Kit” Bond, former Senator and HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, and former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, and includes 17 other individuals from diverse professional and political backgrounds.

The report from the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Commission, entitled Housing America’s Future: New Directions for National Policy, proposes a new housing finance system that calls for a far greater role for the private sector, a continued but limited role for the federal government, the elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and reform of the Federal Housing Administration to improve efficiency and avoid crowd-out of private capital.

Through these reforms, the plan would address the broken mortgage finance system while creating a stable and strong housing market that provides greater taxpayer protection and supports a more vibrant economy.

Categories: Bipartisan Policy Center, business and economics, government and politics, housing and real estate

Science panel calls for federal research into geoengineering

October 6, 2011 Comments off

Science panel calls for federal research into geoengineering
Source: Bipartisan Policy Center

Leading experts on climate change science and technology are calling on the federal government to launch a coordinated investigation of the potential effectiveness, feasibility, and consequences of so-called geoengineering.

The Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Task Force on Climate Remediation Research says in its report that ideas such as removal of CO2 from the atmosphere or using particles to reflect sunlight back into space should be investigated in case they turn out to be necessary.

+ Full Report (PDF)

See: Science panel calls for federal research into geoengineering

Categories: Bipartisan Policy Center, climate change, engineering, government and politics, science, weather and climate

Tenth Anniversary Report Card: The Status of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations

August 31, 2011 Comments off

Tenth Anniversary Report Card: The Status of the 9/11 Commission Recommendations
Source: Bipartisan Policy Center

“Today, our country is undoubtedly safer and more secure than it was a decade ago. We have damaged our enemy, but the ideology of violent Islamist extremism is alive and attracting new adherents, including right here in our own country. With important 9/11 Commission recommendations outlined in this report still unfulfilled, we fail to achieve the security we could or should have…

“The terrorist threat will be with us far into the future, demanding that we be ever vigilant. Changing circumstances require that we regularly reassess our priorities and expenditures to determine what is needed to defend our country and people.

“Our terrorist adversaries and the tactics and techniques they employ are evolving rapidly. We will see new attempts, and likely successful attacks. One of our major deficiencies before the 9/11 attacks was a failure by national security agencies to adapt quickly to new and different kinds of enemies. We must not make that mistake again.”

+ Full Report (PDF)
+ Report Card (PDF)

Categories: Bipartisan Policy Center, documents in the news, government and politics, national security, terrorism

Debt Limit Analysis

July 28, 2011 Comments off

Debt Limit Analysis (PDF)
Source: Bipartisan Policy Center

The purpose of this analysis is to shed light on the operation of the debt limit in case Congress does not raise the limit before the federal government runs short of cash and is no longer able to meet all of its obligations.

In particular, we have addressed three questions:

  1. What is the date past which the government will be unable to honor all obligations?
  2. If that date is passed without a debt limit increase, what will be the effect on federal spending?
  3. If that date is passed without a debt limit increase, what are the potential consequences in the market for Treasury securities, as well as in other markets and in the broader economy?
Categories: Bipartisan Policy Center, business and economics, government and politics

Preventing Violent Radicalization in America

June 26, 2011 Comments off

Preventing Violent Radicalization in America
Source: Bipartisan Policy Center

Last September’s report by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) National Security Preparedness Group, Assessing the Terrorist Threat, concluded that the lack of a coherent approach towards domestic counter-radicalization has left America “vulnerable to a threat that is not only diversifying, but arguably intensifying.” The purpose of this report is to provide guidance on ongoing efforts aimed at developing such an approach.

+ Full Report (PDF)

Hat tip: Homeland Security Digital Library

Categories: Bipartisan Policy Center, government and politics, national security, social and cultural issues, terrorism
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