It is part of the badge of being a red-blooded American businessman to oppose government regulation of business and-as the ultimate anathema-to oppose government takeover, i.e., government operation of an enterprise that might otherwise be run by private business. Although the insurance industry has long been regulated on the state level, there seems little or no fear of takeover by state gover...

Globally, aging populations are driving the demand for long-term care (LTC) services for a growing number of older people with disabilities or chronic illnesses. A key challenge for policy-makers in all countries is to find a comprehensive solution to financing LTC services to make them widely accessible, affordable, and equitable for all in need. In this commentary, we...

insurance is an increasingly popular policy reform in developing countries. Thailand and Vietnam have long-standing efforts to achieve universal coverage through social insurance. Kenya is currently implementing such a reform. Caribbean countries have been debating the merits of 'National Health Insurance' since the mid-1990s; and many other countries in Asia and Africa are following suit. It i...

Social insurance is a subject I have been studying for nearly 40 years. The intellectual and policy revolution in social insurance that is occurring around the world is among the most significant and positive developments of current economics. Social insurance programs have become the most important, the most expensive, and often the most controversial aspect of government domestic policy, not ...

T H E DECADE that has passed since the Social Security Act was adopted in the United States saw a rapid expansion of social security measures throughout the world. When the act was under consideration by Congress in the spring of 1 9 3 5 , Great Britain and almost every country of Europe had one or more social insurance programs providing protection against the risks of old age, death, invalidi...