US

Cadillac Tax

The “Cadillac tax” on expensive employer-provided health insurance plans will reduce costly distortions in US health care if it is allowed to take effect as scheduled in 2018.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Like the mortgage interest deduction, the federal tax subsidy to employer-provided health insurance plans causes excess consumption.
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Banerjee
Abhijit Banerjee
MIT
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Brunnermeier
Markus Brunnermeier
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Einav
Liran Einav
Stanford
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Finkelstein
Amy Finkelstein
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Just scratches the surface of the reforms needed in health-care policy
Hart
Oliver Hart
Harvard
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
I think so. It would be better to count employer-based health insurance as taxable income, but the Cadillac tax is better than nothing.
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford
Uncertain
10
Bio/Vote History
The Cad tax is meant to counter other distortions so this is a q of whether 4th best fixes 3rd best. An economist who says he knows is wrong
Hoynes
Hilary Hoynes
Berkeley
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
The rate is too high. Better idea is to make insurance costs equally deductible for all.
Kaplan
Steven Kaplan
Chicago Booth
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Depends on what happens to the rest of the Obamcare mandates and side payments that are still be litigated
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Samuelson
Larry Samuelson
Yale
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Even better would be to divorce the provision of health care from employment entirely, but that is probably not a realistic possibility.
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Shapiro
Carl Shapiro
Berkeley
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Shimer
Robert Shimer
University of Chicago
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
It will reduce distortions, but I'm not sure by how much
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Uncertain
2
Bio/Vote History
The basic reasoning for the tax is sound, but the market is so rife with imperfections that our simple models might be quite misleading.