James C. Capretta

The payroll tax is heavier burden for the middle class than the income tax. Conservatives should examine creative ways to scale back this tax as part of a broader reform plan.

The president’s plan expands entitlement commitments and tries to pay for them with tax hikes and spending cuts that will never last.

In the health system envisioned by the administration, HHS will direct how hospitals and doctors are to care for patients. If that’s not government-run health care, what is?

To be successful, the GOP presidential candidates must find language that conveys both a determination to pursue economic reforms and an attentiveness to the struggles of low and moderate income families.

There will be room for the GOP candidates for president to criticize the Obama economy even if strong growth occurs in 2015.

If the Supreme Court rules against the White House in King v. Burwell, states could face a difficult choice between fixing and reinforcing Obamacare or seeing some residents lose coverage they now have. Congress should give them a third option: a viable alternative to the Affordable Care Act.

The trend toward lower health care cost inflation predates Obamacare. In time, the law’s new subsidies will push costs up, not down.

The ACA cannot be displaced with abstractions and good intentions. What’s needed is a workable and politically viable plan.

To be trusted with control of the White House in 2017, Republicans will need to demonstrate that they have the strategic vision, tactical skill, and ability to execute on a coherent agenda between now and the next presidential election.

The GOP Congress won’t be able to repeal Obamacare over the next two years. But it can make progress toward that goal with smart incremental changes and development of a sound replacement plan.

The debate over Medicare is changing. It is now possible to envision bipartisan reforms that build on the success of the Medicare Advantage program.

The Congressional Budget Office says Obamacare will induce a downsizing of the U.S. workforce, but the agency does not include the lost federal revenue in official cost estimates of the law.