The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
Pooling risk to pay for long-term services and supports
English Summary
The U.S. currently lacks a comprehensive system for financing long-term services and supports (LTSS), leaving the financial risk primarily on individuals and families despite expanding health coverage. The paper analyzes European models, which treat LTSS as a shared social risk, demonstrating varied combinations of social insurance, tax financing, and supports. Key lessons suggest that durable U.S. reform requires federal risk pooling, establishing national minimum standards, and investing heavily in home and community-based care. Ultimately, the analysis argues that successful reform necessitates a credible, durable revenue mechanism and formal recognition of family caregivers.
中文摘要
美國目前缺乏一套完善的長期服務與支持（LTSS）的融資體系，導致儘管健康保障範圍擴大，財務風險仍主要落在個人和家庭身上。本文分析了歐洲模式，這些模式將LTSS視為共同的社會風險，並展示了社會保險、稅收資助和支持服務等不同組合。關鍵經驗教訓指出，美國若要實現持久的改革，必須建立聯邦層級的風險共池機制、制定國家最低標準，並大力投資於居家及社區照護。最終，本分析認為，成功的改革必須建立一個可信賴、持久的收入機制，並正式承認家庭照護者的角色。
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