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Oct 10, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Theo Merkel |Ge Bai |Brian Blase |Joe Albanese
On October 10, 2024, Paragon’s Theo Merkel was quoted by Paragon Public Advisor Ge Bai in Forbes. From the article:While the Harris campaign has not disclosed the estimated impact on Medicare spending, the Brookings Institution recently estimated that a “very conservatively designed” program would cost $40 billion a year. Controlling demand in such a program is nearly impossible.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
manhattan.institute | Theo Merkel
ANOTHER REMINDER OUR SAFETY NET IS BROKENMedicaid expansion was sold as a cost-effective way to expand health coverage to millions of Americans, yet more than a decade after implementation it costs more than employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) in many states. This should reinforce concerns among policymakers that the poor design of Medicaid expansion has led to cost-overruns and excessive spending – often unrelated to actual care for enrollees.
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Aug 5, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Jackson Hammond |Theo Merkel
Senior Policy AnalystJackson Hammond is a Senior Policy Analyst at Paragon Health Institute. He has been active in the federal and state health policy space since 2017. Prior to joining Paragon, Jackson was a health care policy analyst for American Action Forum (AAF). While at AAF, his work focused on payer issues including private insurance, Medicare, and Medicare Advantage.
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Jul 24, 2024 | 
city-journal.org | Theo Merkel
Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services touted the supposed effects of inflation penalties on 64 prescription drugs included in Medicare. Secretary Xavier Becerra claimed that the fees, enacted in 2022 and imposed on certain drugmakers when their prices rise faster than inflation, are “putting money back in the pockets of seniors and people with disabilities.”The reality is less encouraging.
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Jun 3, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Brian Blase |Theo Merkel
What Should Conservatives Do on the ESI Exclusion? Over the past decade, some of my best friends in the liberty movement have groaned when I told them I favor capping the exclusion for employer-sponsored health insurance (ESI) because they believe it’s a bulwark against a single-payer system and politically futile. But I believe both tax policy and health policy would be improved by capping the ESI exclusion.
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May 29, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Theo Merkel |Brian Blase
On May 29, 2024, Paragon’s latest paper “Follow the Money: How Tax Policy Shapes Health Care,” by Brian Blase and Theo Merkel, was referenced in Politico. From the article:PITCHING HEALTH TAX CHANGES —With the impending expiration of the Trump administration’s tax cuts, former Trump advisers are calling for Congress to change the tax code to bolster efficiency.
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May 29, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Theo Merkel |Brian Blase
This paper analyzes key tax provisions in health care, assesses their impacts and histories, and recommends reforms to enhance efficiency and consumer empowerment. What This Paper CoversThe power to tax is one of the most powerful tools in the toolbox of federal policymakers, and few areas of American life have been more fundamentally shaped by taxation than health care. This paper takes an in-depth look at 10 significant tax provisions that apply to health care and health coverage.
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May 29, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Theo Merkel |Drew Gonshorowski |Brian Blase
Many know that health care is the largest component of federal spending, but as this week’s Paragon Pic shows – the sheer size of the revenue impact of health care tax provisions is also unrivaled anywhere else in the American economy. The goal of these health tax provisions is to make health care and the financial protections provided by insurance more affordable. Together, they are utilized by close to 200 million Americans.
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Feb 8, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Brian Blase |Theo Merkel |Drew Gonshorowski
PresidentatParagon Health InstituteBrian Blase, Ph.D., is the President of Paragon Health Institute. Brian was Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy at the White House’s National Economic Council (NEC) from 2017-2019, where he coordinated the development and execution of numerous health policies and advised the President, NEC director, and senior officials. After leaving the White House, Brian founded Blase Policy Strategies and serves as its CEO.
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Jan 30, 2024 | 
paragoninstitute.org | Theo Merkel |Drew Gonshorowski
The U.S. spends a lower share of overall health care spending on prescription drugs than most developed nations even though in dollar terms the U.S. spends more on prescription drugs than any country. This is not to say U.S. spends too much or too little on prescription drugs, but it is a crucially important indicator that any excessive U.S. health spending is even more pronounced on other types of care.
