Off the Charts Blog | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

This week on Off the Charts, we focused on the federal budget and taxes, health care, and Social Security.

• On the federal budget and taxes, we compiled a roundup of everything you need to know about the House-passed budget that House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan proposed, including analyses on how it would affect taxes, health care, and the safety net.  Chye-Ching Huang noted that there’s no evidence that tax breaks for capital gains and dividends contribute to economic growth.
• On health care, Paul Van de Water explained that, contrary to recent claims, the Affordable Care Act has significantly improved Medicare’s long-term financial outlook, and he detailed two ways the health reform law strengthens Medicare’s bottom line.  January Angeles discussed how millions of poor, uninsured adults could be left without access to health insurance if their states do not expand Medicaid to cover low-income adults under the ACA.
• On Social Security, Kathy Ruffing wished the program a happy 77^th birthday and described its success as the most important source of income for its elderly beneficiaries.

In other news, we issued a report on states’ policy decisions in implementing health care exchanges.  We also updated our Policy Basics papers on the number of weeks of unemployment insurance benefits currently available in each state, and where our federal tax dollars go.

A variety of news outlets featured the Center’s work and experts this week.  Here are some highlights:

• Paul Ryan’s Radical Budget Vision
  U.S. News and World Report
  August 16, 2012

• Plan’s Costs Far Outweigh Its Benefits
  New York Times – Room for Debate
  August 16, 2012

• Spending reductions, recurring budget deficits
  Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  August 16, 2012

• Health Reform Strengthens Medicare, Doesn’t “Rob” It
  Huffington Post
  August 16, 2012

• Obama vs. Poverty
  New York Times Magazine
  August 15, 2012

• Dismay as Corbett ends funding for tax-credit program for low-income families
  Philadelphia Inquirer
  August 15, 2012