The Politics of Paying for Health Reform- Zombies, Payroll Taxes, and the Holy Grail
By Jonathan Oberlander
Summary: This paper explores the politics of paying for health reform and briefly sketches out the political and institutional contexts that shape reformers' efforts to finance universal coverage. The author presents a menu of available funding options and analyzes the feasibility of each. He concludes with an explanation of the political consequences of different funding arrangements and the potential applications for cost control. The author concludes that all major forms of financing have political liabilities. However, the author argues, health care reform will more likely depend on political leadership in Congress and the White House, public support, the economy and foreign affairs.
Key Concepts: health care administrative structure, role of Medicare/Medicaid
Read The Politics of Paying for Health Reform- Zombies, Payroll Taxes, and the Holy Grail (pdf).