The White House proposal to replace the current tax break for employer-sponsored health insurance with a standard tax deduction available to anyone buying insurance has raised a storm of controversy. Proponents argue that the proposal is fairer than the current system, provides real help for the uninsured, and promotes efficiency in health care that can yield meaningful cost savings for everyone. Critics claim that the plan will raise taxes, increase the number of uninsured, and seriously undermine the way 170 million people buy their insurance.

In the first panel, Katherine Baicker, a key member of the president’s economic team, will make the case for the new proposal. Former Congressional Budget Office official Roberton Williams and former Joint Economic Committee economist Thomas P. Miller will respond.

The second panel will focus on the likely impact of the proposal on employer-sponsored health insurance and the ability of the insurance market to accommodate a shift to non-group coverage. Speaking on the second panel will be Employee Benefits Research Institute director of health research Paul Fronstin, University of Minnesota Blue Cross Professor of Health Insurance Roger Feldman, and Hay Group consulting actuary Tom Wildsmith.

The event will conclude with a keynote address on health reform and the tax system by former chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means Bill Thomas.